"The Forest Service plans to protect the nearly 25 million acres it manages where towering trees still stand, the first national plan to protect old-growth forests from commercial logging".
"The most ancient trees still standing in America’s national forests would get new protections under a proposal the Biden administration announced Tuesday that would ban most logging in groves that play a vital role in fighting climate change.
In a phone interview, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the effort is the first time the U.S. Forest Service has proposed simultaneously revising all 128 of its forest plans, which dictate how all 193 million acres of forests and grasslands are managed. The plan would prohibit cutting down old-growth trees for economic reasons, preventing carbon-rich forests from being clear-cut at a time when scientists say they are most needed. These trees, most of which are well over 100 years old, store vast amounts of carbon. They also provide an essential habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife and are more likely to survive wildfires.
“We think this will allow us to respond effectively and strategically to the biggest threats that face old growth,” Vilsack said, listing wildfire, disease and pests as challenges. “At the end of the day it will protect not just the forests, but also the culture and heritage connected to the forests.”"
Anna Phillips reports for the Washington Post December 19, 2023.
SEE ALSO:
"Biden Administration Takes Step Toward Protecting Old-Growth Trees" (The Hill)
"Biden Admin Eyes Carbon Capture Boost From Old-Growth Forests" (E&E News)
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