John,

America's oldest trees have been digging their roots into the soil for decades. Every year, trees celebrate another ring around their trunks and stretch higher into the sky.

But even the most firmly rooted tree is no match for the rip of a chainsaw or the heft of a bulldozer. Logging is tearing through mature and old-growth trees -- leaving a wasteland where our oldest forests used to be.

We can't let logging destroy our oldest forests. Tell the U.S. Forest Service: Protect mature and old-growth trees now.

Forests are part of the fabric of America, from the cool and misty forests of the Pacific Northwest to the thick and humid trees of the Southeast and everywhere in between.

But the legacy of hundreds of years of logging has left us with only a fraction of the old-growth forests that used to cover America from sea to shining sea. And even today, logging projects are still chopping down our oldest trees.1

We're urging the U.S. Forest Service to defend what old trees we have left and finalize protections for our old-growth forests. The agency is looking for more public input this summer on its plans for our nation's oldest trees.

Along with our partners, Environment Colorado plans to deliver 750,000 public comments to the U.S. Forest Service by the end of the summer. Every voice counts, and we need yours, John.

Stand up for our old-growth and mature forests this summer. Add your name today.

Old trees are the backbone of the ecosystem. They help filter the water in the creeks and streambeds. They absorb pollution from the air. They create nutrients for other plants and animals. And they provide shade and a beautiful sight for us.

Standing the test of time, our oldest trees have become centerpieces of the web of life. These elder trees are where birds painstakingly build their nests for their hatchlings. They're teeming with life, from the littlest bugs crawling on their leaves to the big bears scratching against their rough bark.

Killing acres of trees leaves a huge scar that won't fade. The work of trees is underappreciated, and we lose it all if we cut them down.

That's why we need to stop logging before it levels our last remaining mature and old-growth trees. Take action to help save the oldest trees.

Thank you,

Ellen Montgomery

1. Matthew Brown, "US inventory: old forests cover area larger than California," Associated Press, April 20, 2023.