STATEMENT: Forest Service urged to strengthen protections for mature and old-growth forests in draft national old growth plan

WASHINGTON – A coalition of environmental groups called on the U.S. Forest Service Friday to strengthen protections for the nation’s mature and old-growth forests and trees. The move came in response to the agency’s release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) with proposals that could conserve old-growth in Oregon and in all national forests across the country. This is the most recent step following President Joe Biden’s Executive Order, issued in 2022, to develop policies to protect mature and old-growth forests on Federal lands and follows an initial scoping period, which closed on Feb. 2.

A 90-day public comment period will begin following publication of the DEIS in the Federal Register.

Mature and old-growth forests contain essential habitats, provide clean drinking water for communities and feature highly fire-resilient trees. They also store huge amounts of carbon and keep it out of the atmosphere. As the world experiences record-shattering heat and widespread climate disasters, protecting these forests is critical to preventing the worst consequences of climate change. 

The vast majority of old-growth forests have already been logged. Federally managed public lands have a critical share of our remaining old growth – and the mature forests that could become old-growth. Groups have identified dozens of logging projects that target mature and old-growth trees on federal lands. 

The Climate Forests Campaign is a coalition of more than 120 organizations working to protect mature and old-growth trees and forests on federal land. 

Members of the coalition, including Center for Biological Diversity, Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Earthjustice, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Oregon Wild, Sierra Club, Standing Trees and WildEarth Guardians, issued the following statement:

“This summer, the Climate Forests Campaign will work with our partners across the country to engage hundreds of thousands of Americans to ensure a strong final plan. The U.S. Forest Service must fulfill the direction of President Biden’s Executive Order to protect mature and old-growth forests for the climate, clean water and imperiled species. 

This draft is a step, but the final policy must be significantly improved, including ending the practice of sending old-growth trees to timber mills. Logging old-growth trees to save the forest is a false solution — they are worth more standing. 

The agency must also take concrete action to recover the old-growth that has been lost over the past centuries. In many parts of the country there is little to no old-growth left, and by protecting mature forests, we can help ensure they become the old-growth of future generations. We need meaningful protections for both mature and old-growth forests to ensure our national forests meet the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.”