John,

Canada lynx, grizzly bears, wolverines and more are losing the wilderness they call home as the North American boreal forest is logged at a breakneck pace.

Last May, The Home Depot's shareholders voted for a proposal to increase the company's efforts to eliminate deforestation and forest degradation in its supply chains. Ten months later, the home improvement giant has yet to publicly act.1

Tell The Home Depot: Do your part to preserve the boreal forest.

The North American boreal forest stretches across the continent, from Newfoundland to the far western shores of Alaska. It's the largest intact ecosystem left on the planet, making it an invaluable habitat for iconic North American species.

Logging and other development in this vast wild place have endangered more than half of its woodland caribou herds. The forest is also a breeding ground for nearly half of all of the bird species in Canada and the United States.

And it's not only the well-being of wildlife at stake. The trees and soil of the boreal hold an estimated 300 billion tons of carbon -- and the forest removes enough carbon from the atmosphere to offset the emissions of 24 million cars each year.

But despite its importance, the boreal forest is being logged at a rate of 1.5 football fields every single minute. Much of the wood is shipped to the United States to be sold as furniture and lumber.2

U.S. companies including The Home Depot can prevent the worst damage to the boreal forest with strong wood sourcing policies. Tell The Home Depot to commit to protecting the boreal forest.

Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement retailer. With more than 2,300 stores in North America, it could make a big difference for our essential forests.3

Its shareholders took the first step by telling the company to commit to doing more to eliminate deforestation. We're adding our voices, and together, we can raise a call so loud that The Home Depot has to listen.

We're urging The Home Depot to commit to not purchase wood from as-yet undeveloped parts of the boreal forest and to only source wood from sustainably managed forests. John, will you add your voice to the call today?

Yes, I want to tell The Home Depot to preserve the boreal forest.

Thank you,

Ellen Montgomery

1. Ellen Montgomery, "We're waiting for the Home Depot to put forests first," Environment America Research & Policy Center, February 27, 2023.
2. Ellen Montgomery, "We're waiting for the Home Depot to put forests first," Environment America Research & Policy Center, February 27, 2023.
3. Ellen Montgomery, "We're waiting for the Home Depot to put forests first," Environment America Research & Policy Center, February 27, 2023.