The first statement in the "statutory mission" of the United States Forest Services says that the agency should be:

Advocating a conservation ethic in promoting the health, productivity, diversity, and beauty of forests and associated lands.

So why is it in favor of a proposal to sell 300,000 acres of forest land in Western North Carolina in order to pay for local schools?

I understand both sides of the debate, but it seems to me that the United States Forest Service is on a side that is antithetical to its mission.

By the way, the land in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forest is some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen.