FFRC Press Statement: Old Growth Policy Massive Distraction from Forest Health and Wildfire Crisis: December 19, 2023: FFRC Executive Director Bill Imbergamo issued the following statement on the Forest Service’s Notice of Intent on Old Growth:
“We are carefully reviewing the Forest Service’s proposal. It appears this effort continues to prioritize creating further management restrictions on the National Forest, even though it is well established that timber harvest is not a threat to these forests.”
“The Forest Service preliminary ‘threat assessment’ for Old Growth Forests shows the vast majority of old growth “losses” were from fire, insects, and disease, likely exacerbated by climate change. It found that timber harvest impacted about 0.03 percent of the agency’s old growth stands over the last two decades.”
“The Forest Service’s approach here is baffling. Congress has made it clear that job one is reducing the threat of catastrophic fires by thinning our National Forests, something our industry is more than capable of doing. Instead, the same staff who should be planning fuels treatments are going to be engaged in a rushed, top-down effort to amend every forest plan to restrict management options on even more acres of National Forests.”
“This is a massive misallocation of resources. The Forest Service admits in the Federal register notice that “nearly all” Forest plans already have specific requirements to protect and manage old growth stands. The Forest planning process is supposed to be a bottom up, locally led effort that builds on specific forest types and conditions. It’s not clear how a National, top-down effort helps here.”
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For more information, contact Bill Imbergamo, Executive Director, at 703-629-6877 or bill@fedforest.org
About the FFRC: FFRC is a national coalition of wood products companies, local governments, conservation groups united by concern for the National Forests. FFRC supports improving the management of the federal lands to support healthy forests and vibrant rural communities.
Federal Forest Resource Coalition
1901 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Suite 1007
Washington, DC 20006
Bill Imbergamo
Executive Director
Federal Forest Resource Coalition
703-629-6877