Sarbanes, Matsui, Huffman Urge Forest Service to Take Additional Measures to Protect Old-Growth Forests

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Congressman John Sarbanes (MD-03) and Reps. Doris Matsui (CA-07) and Jared Huffman (CA-02) led a group of 33 lawmakers in sending a letter to Secretary Tom Vilsack, supporting the U.S. Forest Service's (USFS) National Old-Growth Amendment(link is external)and urging USFS to take additional measures to protect old-growth forests.

"Protecting older forests is part of an overarching climate-informed strategy to increase forest resilience to wildfires, combat climate-related impacts and help retain forest carbon," the lawmakers wrote.

In April 2022, President Biden issued Executive Order 14072, recognizing mature and old-growth forests as vital to the health, prosperity and resilience of communities across the nation. Mature and old-growth trees absorb and store more planet-warming greenhouse gases than younger trees and are an important part of healthy, resilient ecosystems, making them essential to our climate and conservation goals.

In response to the President's Executive Order, USFS proposed to amend all national forest management plans to protect, conserve and sustainably steward old-growth forests and foster the development of new old-growth forests. On June 21, 2024, USFS issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the National Old-Growth Amendment.

"We strongly support the USFS's proposed land management amendment, but we urge USFS to strengthen protections in the Final EIS," the lawmakers concluded."In keeping with the President's E.O. 14072, we urge USFS to clarify that management activities must not degrade or impair old-growth forests and that an area cannot lose its classification as old-growth forest as a result of these management activities. Finally, we urge USFS to take concrete steps to conserve mature forests with the intention of nurturing future old-growth forests."

This letter builds on an April 2023 letter urging the USFS to initiate this formal rulemaking protecting old-growth forests and an April 2024 letter supporting USFS's National Old-Growth Amendment, both of which Congressman Sarbanes also led with Reps. Matsui and Huffman.

A copy of the letter can be found here(link is external).

# # #