It has been my experience that the great majority of those who spout off about these lands have very little personal experience with them. I do, and I can tell you there are very good reasons they are still in federal ownership. There were no buyers, because there’s no way to make a living on the land unless it has minerals.
My experience here in northern California in a small town surrounded by the Forest Service is they our more into “preservation” than the multi-use that they used to do. Logging here is basically nonexistent. They have shut down most dirt bike trails. Purged most mining claims. You get the feeling that they don’t want you on their land.