John,

Living beings hundreds of years old ... chopped down in a single moment.

From North Carolina to Montana, old-growth and mature forests continue to be threatened by logging and clear-cutting. These wild, irreplaceable areas of incredible beauty deserve protection, not destruction.

Let us take you on a tour of three old-growth forests that are worth saving.

In Kootenai National Forest, which stretches across the Canadian border in northern Montana, 600 to 800-year-old larch trees tower over the mossy forest floor. Along with lynx, wolverines and other unique wildlife, this forest is home to the most imperiled grizzly bear population in the U.S.

A proposed logging project would log 4,000 acres of mature and old-growth forests.1 As of 2023, only about 25 grizzlies remain in the area that is planned for logging.

Stepping through the autumn-gold trees of Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin's Northwoods, you may see moose, snowshoe hares, bald eagles or even endangered gray wolves.

This wildlife-rich area is threatened by the Fourmile Project, where timber companies have already begun to log 12,000 acres. In that area, 54% of trees are 80 years or older, and 33% are 100 years or older.2

You might need a raincoat if you plan on visiting Nantahala National Forest. This lush, green area in western North Carolina is one of the wettest regions in the country, which is part of what makes it the perfect home for the endangered green salamander.

And yet a proposed project is targeting 317 acres of this rich wildlife habitat, including rare old-growth trees beloved by locals.3 Thanks to local advocates, the Forest Service has agreed to abandon portions of the project, but is still planning to log old-growth trees.

These are just three of the old-growth forests threatened by logging projects in the U.S. These beautiful, unique havens of flora and fauna are vital for clean air, for clean water and for their own sake.4

Yet after centuries of growth, a towering tree in an old-growth forest can become a stump in an instant. That's why we're working to protect them before it's too late.

Thank you for being part of that work,

Ellen Montgomery

P.S. Be a guardian for our oldest trees: Donate now to defend our forests.

1. Ellen Montgomery, "Threatened Forests," Environment America, May 19, 2023.
2. Ellen Montgomery, "Threatened Forests," Environment America, May 19, 2023.
3. Ellen Montgomery, "Threatened Forests," Environment America, May 19, 2023.
4. Ann M. Gallagher and Carolyn A. Copenheaver, "What Do We Mean by 'Old-Growth'?", National Park Service, Dec 29, 2023.

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