Environmental groups urge President Biden to protect old-growth forests in North Carolina

Besides their beauty, North Carolina’s old-growth trees provide many benefits to our state. Mature and old-growth trees actively absorb more carbon than younger trees, provide habitat for important wildlife, and foster a diverse ecosystem. The benefits of old-growth trees continue after their lifespan is over, including providing food for other plants once they begin to decay and recycling their stored carbon into the soil to create a natural carbon sink. 

Many North Carolina groups agree that our oldest trees are a precious natural resource and have signed a letter to President Biden advocating for strong protections. The letter calls on the Biden Administration to prohibit the sale of logged old-growth wood for any reason and include mature trees as well as those that have reached old-growth stage.

“Old-growth and mature forests are a part of North Carolina’s natural heritage that we should treasure,” said Environment North Carolina Advocate, Emily Mason. “Old-growth trees used to take up a much larger share of the forests in North Carolina. For the benefit of future generations, It’s important that we protect what little is left and ensure that mature trees can grow to become old-growth trees one day.”

There are very few old-growth trees and forests left in North Carolina and active projects such as the Buck and Southside projects threaten what little old-growth is left. The Buck Project is one of the largest timber sales in North Carolina in recent history and an estimated 60% of the forest area targeted for logging in the Southside Project is more than 100 years old. The letter urges that these projects discontinue in order to protect old-growth forests.

Mature and old-growth trees are also one of our best natural solutions to worsening climate change. North Carolina is suffering from the effects of climate change including rising sea levels on our coast, dangerously hot summers, and more extreme weather patterns which lead to increased droughts and flooding. In the face of biodiversity loss and worsening climate change, we cannot afford to lose what mature trees and forests we have left.

You can join in the effort to save North Carolina’s oldest trees by sending a message to the Biden Administration to protect what is remaining of North Carolina’s mature and old-growth trees.