We Must Protect Nature's Climate Solution — Our Forests

Tell the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to implement a
strong rule that protects carbon-absorbing mature forests from logging on
federal lands.

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[ [link removed] ]Photo of a forest






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Dear NRDC Activist,

Forests can help save us from the climate crisis — especially our nation's
mature and old-growth forests.

These vital forests fight climate change by removing and storing carbon
naturally, protect drinking water for our communities, and provide habitat
for at-risk wildlife.

Unfortunately, mature forests on federal lands are under threat by timber
companies that want to log these critical carbon capturing ecosystems for
profit. And even worse, the federal agencies charged with managing federal
forests — the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) — continue to encourage logging.

[ [link removed] ]Tell USFS and BLM that mature forests on federal lands must be
protected from logging!

In April, President Biden issued a welcome executive order that recognizes
the importance of mature and old-growth forests in the fight against
climate change. It directed government agencies to inventory these forests
nationwide, identify threats to them, and develop policies for their
protection. It was a move in the right direction, but urgent action is
needed to ensure these climate-critical forests are meaningfully protected
from logging.

[ [link removed] ]USFS and BLM must follow the President's lead and implement a strong,
durable rule that protects mature forests across federal lands from
logging.

Mature trees are a small fraction of total trees. But they have an outsize
impact, absorbing tens of millions of tons of carbon pollution, and
retaining most of that carbon for decades, even when dead. And the lion's
share of the country's remaining mature and old-growth forests are on
federal lands.

Protecting mature trees means saving more than just our climate. They are
naturally more fire-resistant. And they protect water quality and provide
habitat for wildlife.

Furthermore, America no longer gets significant lumber from mature and
old-growth forests on federal lands. Ninety-four percent of our wood comes
from other sources, and private industry and timber towns have effectively
made the transition to sourcing and processing smaller trees. When mature
trees are logged and processed, much of their stored carbon is rapidly
released — and recapturing it through forest regrowth takes decades or
centuries.

But the climate crisis is upon us now. We do not have decades or centuries
to regrow forests. We must protect carbon-absorbing mature forest stands
today!

[ [link removed] ]Urge USFS and BLM to implement a strong rule that protects the mature
and old-growth forests that are essential to fight climate change.

And it's even more urgent that we act now to protect carbon-absorbing
forests given the recent devastating West Virginia v. EPA Supreme Court
ruling that narrows the EPA's ability to limit climate-busting carbon
emissions from power plants. This ratchets up the pressure to tackle
climate change anywhere and everywhere we can.

We need a strong, durable rule that protects mature forest stands on
federal lands from logging nationwide and promotes the recovery of
old-growth forests that have been lost. And USFS and BLM need to start
making this rule now. But they are unlikely to move forward with this
urgently needed rule without a push from us.

[ [link removed] ]Remind USFS and BLM to follow through on the promise of the President's
executive order and implement a strong, lasting rule that protects mature
forests on federal lands from logging!

Sincerely,

Garett Rose
Staff Attorney, Alaska Project, Nature Program, NRDC

Photo: Mick Haupt

The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to
safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural
systems on which all life depends.

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