Forest Service To Host Virtual Public Meeting On New Planning Approach   Roanoke, VA (Oct. 15, 2020) - The USDA Forest Service invites you to attend a virtual public meeting to discuss the new planning approach we intend to take for the Forest-wide Oak and Woodland Restoration project. The project goal is to restore oak and woodlands through the management of white pine stands across the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, from 4 pm to 6 pm. Forest leadership and project managers will present information and answer questions about the project proposal and the new planning process at this virtual public meeting. If you have specific project questions that you would like addressed at the public meeting, please submit them to Jessie Howard at 540-265-5130 or Jessie.Howard@usda.gov by noon Monday, October 26, 2020. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions as they arise during the meeting. “We are taking a new approach to the planning process for this project. Since this is a large-scale forest-wide planning effort, we will have an opportunity to get some great restoration work done on the ground,” says Forest Deputy Supervisor Beth LeMaster. “We want to hear from partners, neighbors, and forest visitors about their take on the project and the planning process.” The meeting will be hosted via Microsoft Teams, which is accessible for free on your browser at the following link: ,a href="https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ODgwYjk4YjgtN2VhZC00NTM5LWExNzQtNTI2NGYyMDdkMTVj%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22ed5b36e7-01ee-4ebc-867e-e03cfa0d4697%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2236230a45-0b93-48b7-8351-195a4237cc9b%22%7d">Meeting Link You may also call in to the meeting at: 202-650-0123 (Toll) Conference ID: 388 195 308#. Any person requiring technical assistance or special accommodations to participate in this meeting is asked to contact Rebecca Robbins at rebecca.robbins@usda.gov or 540-492-1901. The project is in the planning phase and we are asking for public input during a 30-day comment period beginning October 13, 2020. For more information about the project, see the scoping letter on the project webpage: www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=58928. Please submit your comments at https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public/CommentInput?Project=58928 or mail your written comments to: George Washington and Jefferson National Forests Attn: Beth LeMaster 5162 Valleypointe Parkway Roanoke, VA 24019

* * * * *