Contacts:
Grace Brahler, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Madeline Cowen, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463

Feds Solicit Public Input for Climate Resilience Rulemaking

On April 20, 2023, the two federal agencies charged with overseeing federally-managed public forests in the US released a much-anticipated report defining, identifying, and producing an initial inventory of mature and old-growth forests. The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) inventory, which will continue to expand, identified more than 32 million acres of old-growth and around 80 million acres of mature forest across 200 types of forests. The inventory was ordered by President Biden in his 2022 Earth Day Executive Order, which marked the first time the federal government clearly acknowledged the many ecosystem services and climate benefits of our country’s last remaining mature and old-growth forests. The initial inventory found that old-growth forest represents 18% and mature forest another 45% of all forested lands managed by the Forest Service and BLM. In addition, the Forest Service announced a proposed rulemaking process. The agency is asking for public input on how to adapt current policies to protect, conserve, and manage national forests and grasslands for climate resilience.

“We are pleased to see the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management meet the ambitious deadline set last Earth Day to define and inventory the remaining mature and old-growth forests on federally-managed public lands,” said Grace Brahler, wildlands director with Cascadia Wildlands. “However, the glaring shortcoming remains that mature and old-growth forests are not protected from logging while this process unfolds. As we move into this next phase, we continue to call for durable legal protections for these forests for their myriad benefits, including as profoundly effective carbon sinks.”

“As we get ready to celebrate yet another Earth Day characterized by compounding biodiversity and climate crises, we ask federal agencies to permanently protect mature and old-growth forests as one of our most powerful natural climate solutions,” said Madeline Cowen, grassroots organizer with Cascadia Wildlands. “Older forests filter our drinking water, remove climate pollution from the air we breathe, and increase our resilience to uncharacteristically severe wildfires. These forests are worth far more standing.”

Cascadia Wildlands invites the public to join us and our partner organizations for an Earth Day Rally for Forests and Climate on Saturday, April 22nd, in Eugene, Oregon, calling for lasting protections for public mature and old-growth forests from logging.

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The post Press Release: Federal Agencies Release Joint Report on Mature and Old-Growth Forests first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact:
Madeline Cowen, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Randi Spivak, Center for Biological Diversity

EUGENE, OR — As world leaders gather to address the climate crisis, U.S. land management agencies are undermining President Joe Biden’s commitment to conserve mature and old-growth forests and trees by proposing to log thousands of acres on public lands that serve as climate-saving carbon sinks, as well as providing wildlife habitat and clean drinking water for communities.

Today’s America’s Vanishing Climate Forests report profiles 12 projects on federal public lands including the Bureau of Land Management’s “42 Divide” sale in southwest Oregon, which proposes to log 5,280 acres of mature and old-growth moist mixed conifer forests with trees up to 200 years old. Along with the 10 similar projects identified in a previous report, federal agencies currently have 370,000 acres of older public forests on the chopping block. 

“With so few old-growth stands remaining amidst a sea of clearcuts, it’s abhorrent that the government is planning to log our last older public forests like those in the 42 Divide project,” said Madeline Cowen, Grassroots Organizer with Cascadia Wildlands. “If the Biden administration is serious about fighting the climate crisis, these forests need to be immediately and permanently protected. Forests and their vast amounts of naturally stored carbon are one of the best, and last, defenses we have. ”

Today’s report comes as members of the Biden administration meet with international leaders at COP27 about climate commitments, including efforts to reverse deforestation and promote nature-based solutions to addressing climate change. Protecting mature and old-growth forests and trees is one of the simplest and most effective ways the Biden administration can tackle climate change at home and demonstrate global leadership.

“Instead of heeding Biden’s pledge to set an example for the world, federal agencies are moving full steam ahead with massive logging of mature and old-growth forests,” said Randi Spivak, Public Lands Program director with the Center for Biological Diversity. “These are some of the world’s most magnificent trees and it’ll take centuries to recover their loss. We’re running out of time. The U.S. needs to immediately change course and protect these carbon workhorses.” 

On Earth Day President Biden issued an executive order directing an inventory of mature and old-growth federally managed public forests and development of policies to protect them. Agencies can establish needed protections for these trees and forests while carrying forward the critical work of protecting communities from wildfire. 

At COP26, world leaders pledged to end global deforestation by 2030, but a recent assessment shows nations are not on track to achieve this goal. Ending logging of mature and old-growth forests and trees is a cost-effective solution that can start right now. Advocates from the Climate Forests campaign, a coalition of 120 organizations, are calling on the Biden administration to swiftly adopt a durable rule to protect mature and old-growth trees and forests from logging.

 “Global leaders are discussing the climate crisis in Egypt this week, and time is running out for the world’s greatest emitters to begin implementing policies to stave off the worst consequences,” said Blaine Miller-McFeeley, senior legislative representative at Earthjustice. “A federal rule that restricts logging of critical mature and old-growth forests on federal lands is a cost-effective solution that harnesses nature to fight climate change, while preserving wildlife habitat and protecting clean drinking water.”

In July the Climate Forests Campaign released Worth More Standing, which identified 10 of the worst projects on federal forests targeting mature and old-growth forests and trees. The agencies have not reversed course on any of the 10 sales, though a lawsuit has paused two. Maps on the Climate Forests campaign website show the projects featured in the reports and illustrate the widespread logging threat across the country. 

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The post Press Release: U.S. Agencies Undermine Biden’s Public Forest Protection Pledge with Logging Plans, According to Report first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.