This week, the Biden Administration announced important steps towards protecting old-growth forests across the National Forest System. Core to this announcement is a notice of intent to amend all 128 forest plans across the country to provide new direction for old-growth conservation while also making these forests more resilient to the impacts of climate change and other stressors. Outdoor Alliance applauds the proposed forest plan amendment and looks forward to working with the Forest Service to further strengthen old-growth and mature forest protections.

National Forests are deeply important to the outdoor recreation community, who appreciate healthy forests as places to recreate and for their benefits for climate and the environment. Protected forest lands, particularly intact older forests, capture carbon and provide many other benefits like clean air and water. Once common across the U.S., old-growth forests are relatively rare due to impacts from commercial logging, development, invasive species, and fire suppression. Despite these impacts, a recent inventory by the Forest Service identified 24.7 million acres of old growth forest. Protecting these forests and expanding their footprint is a critical strategy for addressing the climate crisis.

The proposed forest plan amendment would restrict commercial logging in old growth stands, while still allowing for restoration actions like prescribed burns that are needed to make forests resilient to wildfire and other climate-related disturbances. Some highlights of the proposal include:

Acknowledges the contributions that old growth forests make towards providing outstanding recreational opportunities on National Forests;
Thoroughly integrates Indigenous Knowledge into old-growth forest conservation and management;
Sets standards for protecting old-growth trees;
Allows for ecological restoration activities to occur and provides guidance for how these projects can enhance old-growth forest conditions;
Encourages land managers to increase old-growth forest conditions in areas where they are underrepresented;
Sets the stage for future place-based collaboration to protect old-growth forests at the local level.

Click here to read Outdoor Alliance, Outdoor Industry Association, and The Conservation Alliance’s recent letter to the Forest Service.

For years, Outdoor Alliance has advocated for nature-based climate solutions as a way to address climate change while also providing benefits for the outdoor recreation community. "We are truly excited about the Biden Administration's thoughtful approach to protecting old-growth, especially the integration of Indigenous Knowledge," said Adam Cramer, CEO at Outdoor Alliance. "The benefits to climate, biodiversity, and outdoor recreation are hard to overstate.”

This proposal was developed in response to a 2022 Executive Order on “Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies” and incorporates public input from two recent comment periods: One, a request for information regarding the old-growth inventory, and an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) for climate resilience. You can read Outdoor Alliance’s comments on the proposed plan amendment here, the old growth inventory here, and on the ANPRM here.

Old Growth Proposal Would Benefit Outdoor Recreation And The Climate