Schwarzenegger asks Bush to 'Terminate' forest roads

Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking the Bush administration to prevent roads from being built on unoccupied forestland in California.

The 4.4 million acres of "roadless" land are currently inaccessible by cars. And the Governor of California wants to keep it that way.

Last year, the Bush administration lifted the ban that prohibits road building on forestland.

The ban was created eight days before President Clinton stepped down in 2001, stating that one-third of California's forestland be preserved.

The ban-lift opened about 60 million acres of land to possible road building and construction.

But U.S. Forest Services claim there are no current plans to build roads on any of the designated areas, suggesting the possibility of reconsideration.

Four states - New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia - also filed petitions to maintain their forestland.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recommended to the Bush administration that it approve three of the four petitions.

On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger also appealed plans for four national forests in Southern California that would leave the areas of Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino unprotected.

Photography: The Seoul Times

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 13 edition