Recent Controversies
About a third of the land within the national forest proclamation boundary is owned or managed by the Forest Service. The pattern of land ownership is highly fragmented and changes relatively frequently. One of the goals of the Forest Service is to consolidate holdings into larger blocks, which is often done by trading tracts with other organizations. The boundaries of Forest Service lands are marked in various ways, including red paint on trees. The shifting boundaries and growing size of Forest Service lands sometimes results in local complaints and boundary disputes. In addition, it can be difficult for recreational users to know whether they are on Forest Service lands or not. "No Trespassing" signs are frequently used by landowners, and conflicts between landowners and recreational users are not uncommon.
As is common in many national forests, some recreational users trespass on private property, sometimes leaving litter, campfire rings, and causing other damage. In contrast, the population of eastern Kentucky have long been strong proponents of property rights. Feelings of local ownership traditionally extended into nearby public lands, used as woodlots, for hunting and herb gathering, and other such uses. The conflict between long-term local residents and recreational users is exacerbated by the highly fragmented pattern of land ownership.
On many commercially available maps, the whole region within the proclamation boundary is shown as solid green, but the national forest is actually a patchwork of tracts intermingled with private, county, and state properties. Tracts are often shuffled through swaps, barters and exchange, or purchase. One example is the nearly un-forested quarry tracts swapped near Clearfield's Clack Mountain for land on the Licking River in Rowan County.
Boundary disputes are often not contested in court when landowners find the commercial value of disputed land is less than the legal cost of fighting the Forest Service. Some of those affected claim the government takes advantage of archaic deed language and vague border markers or descriptions to shave away property in favor of forest holdings. Local county governments receive permanent fund payments in lieu of property taxes from the USDA, which not only provides revenue but can increase their bond rating, providing further financial incentives for the process to continue.
Issues such as logging and wildlife protection have resulted in lawsuits. Concerns have been raised about organizations promoting the introduction and population growth of animals such as bears, cougars, and red wolves. The successful introduction of red wolves to nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as failed attempts at other nearby areas, such as the Land Between the Lakes, has generated concern and debate throughout the Appalachian region. The controversy over logging and loss of wildlife habitat has resulted in several lawsuits.
Read more about this topic: Daniel Boone National Forest