John,
Besides being cornerstones of biodiversity, old forests on federal lands play an essential role in fighting climate change. But instead of protecting these forests, the U.S. government routinely chops them down, sidestepping science to turn big, old trees into lumber and wood chips.
These majestic trees need protection now, before it’s too late.
Mature and old-growth trees capture vast amounts of carbon pollution, storing it for decades (or centuries) while living — and even after their natural deaths, if they’re left in the forest. Logging releases much of that carbon back into the atmosphere, adding to the climate emergency.
Old forests also provide crucial habitat for wildlife, including imperiled species like fishers, martins and spotted owls, and they ease flooding, help produce clean water, and are generally resistant to wildfire.
Still, many mature and old-growth forests and trees have no lasting protection, and hundreds of thousands of acres are at imminent risk from logging. Without new safeguards to protect these trees, the billions of dollars set aside for forest “management” in recent legislation could go toward destroying them.
Tell President Biden: To address the biodiversity and climate crises, he must protect mature and old-growth forests.
