Urge the Biden administration to protect our old-growth of the future!
America’s mature and old-growth forests are an incredibly important climate solution. Right now, both the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are working on policy proposals to protect our old-growth. Unfortunately, they are leaving an essential natural climate solution off of the table — meaningful mature forest protections.
Temperate rainforests in Oregon rival tropical rainforests in terms of the amount of carbon they store per acre, and large, old trees everywhere store the majority of carbon in forests. However, these bigger, older trees are still being logged when they should be protected for carbon storage, wildlife habitat, and clean water.
We need the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to prioritize our climate over profit!
Mature and old-growth trees are worth more standing. When we protect our forests from logging, we reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure these forests continue storing vast amounts of carbon —a win-win climate change solution! In Oregon our intact forests also offer unique and critical habitat for at-risk fish and wildlife, including the marbled murrelet, salmon, and the northern spotted owl. Healthy forests also filter water to keep our streams, rivers, and lakes clean and cold, and these same forests protect watersheds and communities from flooding and landslides.
The policy proposals that the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are working on are a step in the right direction. Still, they are leaving an essential natural climate solution off of the table — meaningful mature forest protections. Mature forests are the old-growth of the future, we must protect them so they can stand tall to protect future generations.
