By Alabama Public Radio
Washington DC – A plan by the Bush Administration to sell national forest land to help fund rural schools is being met with scorn by four men who are retired chiefs of the US Forest Service. Yesterday, legislation was submitted to Congress that would allow the sale of more than 300-thousand acres of national forest across America to private entities creating about 800 million dollars in revenue. That money would then be used at rural schools in 41 states. The retired chiefs are both Democrats and Republicans. They call the land sale "an unwise precedent.'' Administration officials say the parcels to be sold are isolated, expensive to manage or no longer meet forest system needs. In Alabama, the Forest Service plans to sell 3-thousand-220 acres from the Bankhead, Conecuh and Talladega national forests.