U.S. Forest Service Opens Welcome Path to Saving Mature and Old Growth Forests
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Forest Service announced a rulemaking process on forest conservation measures, opening a much-needed door to better protecting mature forests on public lands.
Christy Goldfuss, chief policy impact officer for the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) made the following statement:
“Mature and old growth forests are our natural allies in the climate fight. They absorb an enormous amount of carbon pollution and lock it away in wood and soil. In addressing wildfires, invasive species and other threats to this indispensable resource, we must also permanently end irresponsible logging on federal lands.
“This welcome announcement opens a path to saving mature trees on federal lands from multiple threats, including chainsaws. This is urgent work. The administration must move forward, without delay, to finalize this rule, in its strongest possible form, before the end of next year, to protect the forests we’re counting on to help avert climate catastrophe.”
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC