Biden marks Earth Day with visit to Prince William Forest Park

This Earth Day, trees may be the best tool we have to save the planet.

Old growth forests provide a home for thousands of species, from martens to salamanders. They filter water and keep streams cool for trout and salmon, and they can help us tackle climate change too by absorbing carbon dioxide. Standing under giant trees older than America can inspire, soothe and teach us much about the natural world.

So it’s fitting that President Biden chose to mark Earth Day 2024 with a visit to Prince William Forest Park in Virginia, where he spoke about his accomplishments protecting some of America’s most special places, addressing climate change through investments in clean energy and the creation of an American Climate Corps to engage young people in environmental jobs and projects.

America has lost almost all our old growth forests to logging and development, but we still enjoy millions of acres of mature forests- trees as old as your grandparents that are already helping the environment and can become old growth if we let them. Unfortunately, many of these forests are still being cut down, including in Wisconsin where trees more than 100 years old are being logged to make pulp, which is used for short-lived products like toilet paper and post-its. 

President Biden has announced new initiatives to protect old growth forests from logging. His Forest Service must make these rules as strong as possible to protect our remaining giant trees and include mature trees that can become the old growth forests of the future. With these actions, President Biden can make future Earth Days even greater and greener.

You can help: Tell the Biden administration to protect mature and old growth forests.