February 15, 2022| February 15, 2022
Environmental Organizations ask Biden administration to use mature and old growth forests as a solution to climate change
ASHEVILLE – Environment America, NC SELC, and dozens more conservation groups launched Tuesday a campaign to focus on protecting mature trees on federal lands that are critical to the fight against climate change. Climate Forests Campaign is calling on the Biden administration to kick off a new era of climate and forest policy in which trees and forests are valued as key pieces of the climate solution.
Old growth and mature forests, in particular, store large amounts of carbon. They continue to absorb carbon as they age. Harvesting these trees results in the release of large amounts of carbon back into our atmosphere, which worsens the climate change impacts.
Already the South is feeling the impacts of climate change, from rising sea levels to increased flooding, Patrick Hunter, Managing attorney of the Southern Environmental Law Centers Asheville Office. It is cost-effective and simple to fully exploit the potential of our National Forests for carbon storage and sequestration by leaving important areas of older trees standing.
Protecting old-growth and mature forests would be a key component of the sustainability plan. Biden administrations adopt a government-wide approachTo address the climate crisis. These forests are still at risk of being harvested for timber, despite their value as carbon storage reservoirs and biodiversity strongholds.
Sadly, our Southern forests have undergone centuries of extensive and at times irresponsible logging and they dont have a lot of old growth left, Hunter said. It is crucial that we also protect mature forests, as well as older trees, which are likely to become old-growth forests and provide enormous carbon benefits.
Groups are invited to participate in The Climate Forests campaign. Launched a website with additional information about old growth and mature forests and details on how the Biden administration can fully use these incredible natural resources.