Keeping our forests healthy, whole and wild.
The trees that make up our forests are some of the oldest living things on Earth, many of them older than America itself. These forests provide crucial habitat for thousands of species. They provide limitless opportunities for recreation, exploration and wonder. What’s more, our forests absorb and store carbon dioxide, which makes them crucial allies in our race against climate change. Together we can protect our forests from road-building, logging, development and other threats.
The towering trees of the boreal forest are being turned into toilet paper that gets flushed away forever. We’re telling Procter & Gamble, the maker of Charmin and other paper products, to go forest-free.
We only have one environment to enjoy living in, and once it’s gone it doesn't come back for an encore.Joe Bridger, Member, Environment North Carolina
Stronger protections will help wildlife and preserve clean water sources.
Federal agencies are targeting mature and old-growth forests for logging despite these trees’ extraordinary ability to curb climate change and President Joe Biden’s directive to preserve them, according to a new report spotlighting the 10 worst logging projects in federal forests across the country. One of the sales highlighted, the “Buck Project” in the Nantahala National Forest, threatens to clear cut 800 acres, including 150 acres of more than 100-year-old forest and is one of North Carolina’s largest timber sales in recent memory.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday signed a memorandum to clarify the U.S. Forest Service’s direction on climate policy. The memo, "Climate Resilience and Carbon Stewardship of America's National Forests and Grasslands," follows a recent White House executive order highlighting the importance of conserving mature and old-growth forests on federal lands as a climate solution. The memo, which lays out “actions to restore forests, improve resilience, and address the climate crisis”, falls short in meeting the ambition outlined in President Joe Biden’s order on old forests and trees. Secretary Vilsack acknowledges the role that older trees play in absorbing and storing carbon and supporting biodiversity. But he fails to outline a plan for his agency to protect mature and old-growth forests and trees from commercial logging.
Sixty-five percent of The Home Depot shareholders voted on Thursday to take a first step toward reducing the hardware giant's forest footprint. The proposal that passed directs the company to produce a report disclosing the company’s current impact on primary forests. The proposal also asks The Home Depot to determine steps it can take to eliminate both deforestation and degradation of primary forests from its supply chains. This action comes a month after The Home Depot’s chief rival, Lowe’s, voluntarily committed to undertaking similar measures.
