A national call to protect old-growth forests
Large ponderosas in national forestland: Getty Images
Finding Climate Solutions in Old-Growth Forests
Our largest trees are worth more standing
In April, President Biden issued an executive order calling on federal agencies to conserve mature and old-growth forests as a climate solution. Recognizing that our oldest trees store vast amounts of carbon, protecting our largest remaining trees is one way we can respond to the climate crisis now.
This was a momentous step towards meaningful forest protections and climate action. Still, it’s up to us to ensure that this order turns into real and lasting changes in how federal agencies manage and protect older forests.
Right now, federal agencies are calling for public input in the process. It’s time to tell the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management that our climate forests are worth more standing.
Large trees make up only 3% of Eastern Oregon’s forests, but store 42% of the carbon. Read more
What is a Climate Forest?
Forests pull carbon out of the atmosphere, where it accumulates in living trees and soil. In this way, mature forests act as carbon sinks, where the world’s forests absorb a net 7.6 billion metric tonnes of CO2 each year.
The importance of retaining old growth as a carbon sink is underlined in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC’s) Sixth Assessment Report.
The IPCC couldn’t be more explicit: the time to act on climate change is now. To do that, we need to rethink our forest management practices for their impact on a warming planet. We need to end the removal of old and large trees, which releases carbon and destroys what could be a powerful carbon sink.
After many of Oregon’s old-growth forests were logged during the last century, some trees are beginning to make a comeback.
If left to age, the mature, large trees in Oregon’s eastern forests can play a big role in combating climate change. In a study on national forest land in Oregon’s forests east of the Cascade Range, large-diameter trees account for only 3% of trees but store 42% of the total above-ground carbon.
Sadly, we continue to see logging projects in our national forests put large trees on the chopping block, damaging their ability to store climate pollution and preserve biodiversity.
Take Action
Public comment is open until August 30
In response to the executive order, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior have opened an official public comment period to gather feedback on how “to define, identify, and complete an inventory of old-growth and mature forests on Federal lands.”
We must demonstrate widespread and overwhelming public support for urgent action to permanently protect mature and old-growth forests and trees across all federal lands.
To help protect our national forests, please send in a public comment. Your comment can help achieve lasting protections for the public forests that are most important in the fight against the climate & biodiversity crises.
IMportant messages to share
Defining “mature” forests is key. It’s essential that the definition of "mature" forests protects the majority of carbon sinks, wildlife habitat, and watersheds on the landscape.
Defining “mature” forests should help create future old-growth forests. We want mature trees to be defined in a way that allows for the recovery of previous old-growth forests that were lost to logging.
Express the importance of a clear rule. Perhaps the most important message to deliver is the need for a clear and measurable rule for protecting large trees. The best available science tells us that trees larger than 21” in diameter store the most carbon, are incredibly important for wildlife, and are scarce on the landscape.
Sunset over the Ochoco National Forest: Gary Marsh
SUPPORT Central OREGON’S WILD LANDS
Central Oregon LandWatch and its supporters have defended the region’s wild lands for decades. We keep a close eye on projects that encroach on these spaces. At LandWatch, we advocate for the preservation of our wild lands for their inherent value, and for the wildlife habitats and ancient forests they host.