Other critical problems such as the invasion of harmful pests and the growing use of off-road vehicles have barely begun to be responsibly addressed. Without stronger measures to enforce existing regulations and monitor the impacts, user conflicts and environmental harm from off-road vehicles will only increase in the future. Eastern forests contain remarkable plant biodiversity and have the potential to recover many extirpated animal species including the wolf, cougar and elk. The Southern Appalachian mountains contain more species of trees that all of northern Europe and thousands of varieties of other plants including over 1,500 kinds of wild flowers. Logging on the National Forests has increased in eastern forests and now exceeds logging in the West according to Forest Service timber sale data.
Private lands logging in the East leads the nation.
Eastern forest are being logged faster than they are growing which is clearly unsustainable. According to Forest Service data, withdrawals currently exceed growth for softwoods and if current trends continue the same will be true for hardwoods by the end of the decade. The National Forest roadless area protection policy protects important areas of biodiversity in the East that have the potential to become Wilderness. The Bush Administration recently failed to defend the roadless policy in court and is likely to abolish the Plan with an out of court settlement in favor of the timber industry. Numerous invasive species in eastern forests are threatening important species including elm, dogwood, hemlock and maples.