CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service released a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 7, saying that the agency is withdrawing a management plan for old-growth forests.
According to the USDA, old-growth forests encompass the later stages of tree development beyond the mature phase, typically, older than 100 years.
“Mature and old-growth forests offer biological diversity, carbon sequestration, wildlife and fisheries habitat, recreation, soil productivity, water quality and aesthetic beauty,” the USDA wrote on its website.
The Old-Growth Plan Amendment would have altered management plans for 128 national forests to conserve and steward old-growth forests due to the increasing threats from climate change, according to the USDA. President Joe Biden launched the forest initiative with an executive order on Earth Day in April 2022.
“Old-growth trees are key buffers against climate change and provide crucial carbon sinks that absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming,” the White House said in Biden’s executive order. “The order does not ban logging of mature or old-growth trees.”
In December 2023, the USDA announced its Notice of Intent to alter the Old-Growth Plan Amendment, which received over 4,000 public responses, according to the USFS.
“Over the past two and a half years, we have worked to better understand mature and old-growth forests, where they are located across the National Forest System, assess the threats they face and learn more about how we can better steward these forests and the values they represent for current and future generations,” Randy Moore, Chief of the USDA’s Forest Service, said in the USDA’s press release.
This past summer, Representative Dan Newhouse, then-Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, introduced legislation to nullify President Biden’s Executive Order 14072 to prevent the U.S. Forest Service from finalizing the Old-Growth Amendment Plan’s draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
“The proposed Old-Growth Plan Amendment is out of touch with the needs of rural America,” said Chairman Newhouse in a statement. “By limiting timber harvesting and proper forest management, the risk of catastrophic wildfires increases.”
This past week, Moore said that the USDA officially withdrew its notice of intent to prepare a National Old-Growth Amendment EIS.
Governor Mark Gordon responded to the decision to withdraw the proposed management plan for old-growth forests on Thursday, Jan. 9.
“The Old-Growth amendment was an unworkable attempt to amend a large number of Management Plans using a single EIS developed on an unrealistic timeline,” Governor Gordon said via press release. “I look forward to improved collaboration with the USDA and Forest Service with the incoming administration.”
The Old-Growth Plan Amendment withdrawal notice was published in the Federal Register on Friday, Jan. 10.
