The Biden-Harris administration announced on Thursday the identification of over 100 million acres of old-growth and mature forests that could potentially receive federal protection. This total encompasses 80 million acres of mature forests and 32 million acres of old-growth forests. The National Forest Service has jurisdiction over about 24.4 million acres of old-growth and 67.4 million acres of mature forests.

The Hill reports that while the announcement doesn’t outline specific steps, the administration plans to open a 60-day public comment period to gather input on preserving these forests as a defense against climate change. Tracy Stone-Manning, Director of the Bureau of Land Management, emphasized the importance of healthy forests in mitigating climate change impacts, providing clean air and water, and supporting biodiversity.

Randi Spivak, Public Lands Policy Director at the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, expressed optimism about the news, highlighting the significance of old growth trees for climate stability and wildlife that depend on these ecosystems. Spivak called on the administration to implement further meaningful actions to protect the identified forests. She noted that the United States Forest Service often targets mature and old-growth trees for logging and expressed hope that this announcement signals a change in the agency’s approach. Spivak also urged the Forest Service to use its authority to save hundreds of thousands of acres currently slated for logging.

To read the full story, go here: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3961403-biden-administration-takes-first-step-to-protect-over-100-million-acres-of-forest/