The Biden administration has decided to scrap its plan aimed at protecting old-growth forests. This change comes after significant opposition from Republicans and the timber industry. The announcement was made by U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore in a letter to forest supervisors.
The proposed plan was the result of years of work, intended to put a stronger emphasis on safeguarding ancient trees that are more vulnerable due to climate change. Environmentalists had seen it as a major step for forest preservation. The initiative, first introduced by President Biden on Earth Day 2022, went through numerous public feedback sessions and was close to being finalized.
The original plan aimed to restrict logging in old-growth areas but would have allowed some exceptions to help combat wildfires. However, these exceptions were not enough to satisfy the timber industry and congressional Republicans, who argued that many forests are already protected and raised concerns that the new rules would negatively impact logging businesses that depend on affordable timber from public lands.
While the administration’s plan was still under consideration, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation to prevent it from taking effect. In his letter, Moore acknowledged the lessons learned from this unique attempt to catalog old-growth trees and recognized the diverse nature of forests across different ecosystems.
Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines celebrated the cancellation of the old-growth plan, calling it a “victory for commonsense local management” of forests. Although many old-growth trees have been logged throughout U.S. history, some pockets still exist, notably in California, the Pacific Northwest, and parts of the Rocky Mountains, with larger areas in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.
There is general agreement on the importance of old-growth forests—not only for their natural beauty but also for their role in storing significant amounts of carbon, which can contribute to climate change when released during wildfires. Environmental advocates, such as Alex Craven from the Sierra Club, argue that protecting these forests is both scientifically necessary and expected by the public.
The recent increase in wildfires has already devastated many old-growth forests, contributing to substantial losses. Since 2000, wildfires, insects, and diseases have been the main threats to these trees, resulting in a significant area of losses. In comparison, logging has accounted for a fraction of that loss, illustrating claims from some industry representatives that further restrictions are unnecessary.
Bill Imbergamo, a spokesperson for the Federal Forest Resource Coalition, referred to the administration’s plan as “legally dubious and ecologically flawed.” He emphasized the importance of managing older forests to ensure their health and resilience against wildfires and pests.
The administration’s efforts appeared to be in jeopardy even before this withdrawal. Earlier, during Donald Trump’s administration, there were attempts to open vast areas of forests on the West Coast to logging. Although the Biden administration reversed some of those changes, political tensions around forest management continue to linger.
