Seattle Times – Thirty years ago, fuels-reduction work in the national forests to prevent mega-fires was promoted like a religious revival. It involved logging projects focusing on thinning forests to mitigate the damage caused by past timber cutting and fire suppression. But after years of analysis of “fuels-reduction” projects, the painful facts have arrived. Let’s… Continue reading Forest ‘thinning,’ aka logging, is not going to save us from wildfires
Author: White Oak
Forests Are Worth More Than Their Carbon, a New Paper Argues
Inside Climate News – In a peer-reviewed opinion paper published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, University of Oxford researchers point out that, although carbon sequestration is a valuable tool for climate action, large-scale tree planting projects often lack biodiversity, which can make them ineffective climate mitigations. The authors warn against using carbon as the sole metric… Continue reading Forests Are Worth More Than Their Carbon, a New Paper Argues
Study shows replanting logged forests with diverse mixtures of seedlings accelerates restoration
Phys.org – Satellite observations of one of the world’s biggest ecological experiments on the island of Borneo have revealed that replanting logged forests with diverse mixtures of seedlings can significantly accelerate their recovery. The results revealed that plots replanted with a mixture of 16 native tree species showed faster recovery of canopy area and total… Continue reading Study shows replanting logged forests with diverse mixtures of seedlings accelerates restoration
Conservation groups sue Forest Service for logging proposal near Yellowstone National Park
Daily Montanan – Three conservation groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to stop a United States Forest Service plan for a large logging project near Yellowstone National Park that they say puts several threatened or endangered species in even more danger. The groups said that the Forest Service is refusing to identify the locations, timing… Continue reading Conservation groups sue Forest Service for logging proposal near Yellowstone National Park
Forest Service plans to clear-cut in the Monongahela National Forest
West Virginians worry it’s a return to the state’s destructive logging past. Fayette Tribune – The U.S. Forest Service has proposed to clear-cut and burn a number of areas of the Monongahela National Forest near the Upper Cheat River — 3,463 acres of trees in all. The Forest Service says that it seeks to make the forest more resilient… Continue reading Forest Service plans to clear-cut in the Monongahela National Forest
Environmental Assessment Due in September
We spoke with Tim Reed, U.S. Forest Service Stearns District Ranger and decision-maker on the Jellico Mountains Vegetative Management Project. He said we should expect the Environmental Assessment in September. They are following the NEPA Process and will provide a 30-day official comment period. Watch this space.
Reversing the worst impacts of the NEPA rollbacks
EarthJustice.org – The Council on Environmental Quality released its phase II proposed rule for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This is the final proposed rule in a multi-phase process to remedy harmful changes made under the Trump administration. NEPA is our bedrock environmental law requiring the federal government to engage with communities and take… Continue reading Reversing the worst impacts of the NEPA rollbacks
More than Half a Million People Call on Forest Service to Protect Mature, Old-Growth Forests and Trees
EarthJustice.org – More than 528,000 submitted comments to the U.S. Forest Service about protecting mature and old-growth trees and forests from logging on federal land as a cornerstone of U.S. climate policy. “The public wants the nation’s mature forests and trees to be protected from the chainsaw, and with good reason,” said Garett Rose, senior attorney… Continue reading More than Half a Million People Call on Forest Service to Protect Mature, Old-Growth Forests and Trees
U.S. has inventoried old-growth forests. Will protection be next?
Washington Post – The federal government estimated that more than 100 million acres of old-growth and mature timberlands are still standing on public lands. The findings are the result of a year-long review ordered last year by President Biden and are likely to inflame tensions with the timber industry over which forests should remain unlogged. But they… Continue reading U.S. has inventoried old-growth forests. Will protection be next?
Forest Service Is Dragging Its Feet On Protecting Ancient Trees From Logging
HuffPost — Critics say it is time for the White House to make demands of the Forest Service instead of letting the agency advance pro-logging policies. On Earth Day last year, President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at protecting and restoring mature and old-growth forests on federal lands across the country. The order… Continue reading Forest Service Is Dragging Its Feet On Protecting Ancient Trees From Logging