NC locally elected officials letter for strong old-growth protections

Dear President Biden,

We, the undersigned North Carolina locally elected officials, are writing to urge your administration to enact the strongest possible protections for mature and old-growth trees and forests on federal lands. 

North Carolina’s forests are a vital part of our natural heritage. From the whitewater falls in Nantahala to the mile-high peaks and forested slopes of Pisgah, our national forests are a big part of what makes North Carolina such an amazing place to live and visit. 

Our forests provide habitat for many species including the Eastern Box Turtle, American Black Bear and the endangered Northern Saw-whet Owl. 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. Less than 1% of trees on the East Coast have lived to “old-growth” age, a huge divergence from the natural state of this region. In the face of biodiversity loss and worsening climate change, we cannot afford to lose our mature trees and forests as well.

On Friday, June 21st, the U.S. Forest Service released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement with proposals that could conserve old-growth across all national forests. However, none of these proposed alternatives would effectively protect old-growth forests in North Carolina. This is the most recent step following President Biden’s Executive Order, issued in 2022, to develop policies to protect mature and old-growth forests on Federal lands.

Specifically, we are urging your administration to:

1. Clearly prohibit the sale of logged old-growth for any reason. 
2. Lay the groundwork for durable protections for mature trees. 
3. Recognize the unique condition of North Carolina’s eastern forests and prescribe protections to fit our region, including reducing the widespread reliance on even-aged management, and deemphasizing the risk of wildfires in eastern forests to more accurately reflect our forest conditions.

We deeply appreciate your ongoing commitment and leadership in protecting America’s forests and addressing the climate crisis and look forward to ensuring that mature and old-growth trees will remain protected for generations to come.

Sincerely,