Mar. 21--U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander broke ranks with President Bush on Monday over the administration's proposal to sell nearly 3,000 acres of Cherokee National Forest.

Other Tennessee lawmakers are split on the proposal, which would put 800,000 acres of public land up for sale across the country.

Alexander, a Republican, said selling the land would be shortsighted.

"I think the administration, with all respect, needs to go back to the drawing board and come up with a better idea," Alexander said following a meeting about air quality with local officials in Knoxville.

The Bush administration last month announced it wants to sell the land to provide an estimated $800 million for five years' worth of funding for a program that helps pay for roads and schools in communities where national forests are located.

The Forest Service has shared timber sales revenues with local governments since 1908. The roads and schools program was instituted five years ago, when revenues from timber sales waned and the federal government enjoyed budget surpluses.

With the government now racking up huge deficits, the Bush administration proposed selling land to fund the program.

According to the Forest Service, only Polk and Monroe counties are enrolled in the voluntary program. The other eight counties that contain Forest Service land have opted to receive 25 cents of every dollar generated by timber sales.

The Forest Service identified 2,996 acres divided into 38 tracts in seven East Tennessee counties to be sold. Cherokee National Forest consists of 640,000 acres in 10 counties along the North Carolina border.

Officials say the targeted tracts are either not adjacent to the rest of the forest or too remote for efficient management.

The sale proposal is part of Bush's 2007 budget request and must be approved by Congress.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist hasn't taken a position on the sale. Matt Lehigh, the senator's press secretary, said Frist is studying the issue as it moves through the budgetary process.

"He's looking at the impact on the national forest and on Tennessee," Lehigh said.

The three members of the House of Representatives -- all Republicans -- whose districts include portions of Cherokee National Forest are divided on the issue.

Like Frist, U.S. Rep. Bill Jenkins, who represents the northeastern sector of the state, is still studying the issue. His chief of staff, Brenda Otterson, said Jenkins would consult with county mayors, Forest Service officials and others before making a decision.

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, whose district includes national forestlands in Polk and Bradley counties, said there are better ways to fund the program.

"I'm not in favor of selling public lands," Wamp said in a statement issued by spokesman Charles Lardner. "I am for extending the reauthorization bill so Polk County and other counties in my district can receive the revenue stream they need at the local level, but I don't want to see us sell lands to do it."

On the other hand, U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. said the federal government already owns plenty of land -- roughly 657 million acres -- so selling a little shouldn't be a problem. Even with the sale, he said, the federal government would end up with more land next year than it has now through various land purchases.

"I think they own too much," said Duncan, whose district includes Forest Service land in Monroe County. "This is land the Forest Service says they're having difficulty maintaining and policing."

Duncan said he favors putting some of the government's property back on the tax rolls, calling the proposal a reasonable way to help the economy.

"It would expand the tax base and improve government services overall," he said.

Alexander, though, said selling assets to cover annual expenses isn't prudent.

"It kind of reminds me of selling off the 'back 40' to pay the rent," Alexander said. "It's short-term thinking."