On Earth Day 2022 President Biden issued an Executive Order calling on the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to conserve mature and old-growth forests as a natural climate solution. This is a huge step towards meaningful protections for the remaining older forests, but now it’s up to us to ensure that this step leads to lasting change. 

In response to the President’s Executive Order, both the U.S. Forest Service and BLM have opened public comment periods through June 20th, 2023. Please take a minute to add your name to the list of advocates demanding permanent protections of mature and old-growth forests on federal public land!

Sources:

Forests to Faucets 2.0: Connecting Forests, Water, and Communities. USDA, 2022.

Trees to Tap: How Forest Practices Affect Oregon’s Municipal Water. OSU Extension, 2021.

 Status of Mature and Old-Growth Forests in the Pacific Northwest. Strittholt, et al., 2006. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3591344

Carbon sequestration and biodiversity co-benefits of preserving forests in the western United States. Buotte et al. 2019. https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2039

More Resources on Old-Growth:

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Medford BLM's latest old-growth timber sale is aptly named Last Chance
Medford BLM's latest old-growth timber sale is aptly named Last Chance

The Medford District Bureau of Land Management's old-growth logging program is relentless and uncompromising. Currently, the 8,150-acre "Last Chance" timber sale calls for logging most of the remaining mature and old-growth forests in the foothills between Sunny Valley and Galesville. Click to learn more.

Imperiled species highlight: The northern spotted owl
Imperiled species highlight: The northern spotted owl

The northern spotted owl is a Pacific Northwest forest icon. The species relies on old-growth forests to survive, and much of its habitat is threatened by loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation due to logging. Learn more about this imperiled species of the PNW in this blog.

Field Report: Mill Rat Timber Sale, Poor Windy Project
Field Report: Mill Rat Timber Sale, Poor Windy Project

Last week, I ventured into the field with George, our Conservation Director, to groundtruth a Medford District Bureau of Land Management (BLM) timber sale called Mill Rat within the Poor Windy project just north of Grants Pass, Oregon. What we found was heartbreaking. Click to read the full field report.