In the fight against climate change, forests are key. Aside from transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy, the conservation, restoration and stewardship of forests should be our highest priority.
Forests store more carbon per acre than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet; they need to be the nation’s first line of climate change defense.
The creation of a Forest Carbon Reserve would be an essential part of any future Green New Deal. It would result in a substantial reduction in, and avoidance of, carbon emissions from forest degradation and fossil fuel production, would be integral to a broader green jobs program.
Read MoreIndustrial forestry is a set of techniques aimed at producing as much commercially valuable timber per acre as quickly as possible.
Most of North America’s largest timber companies are wedded to a model of intensive, industrial forestry that is far from climate friendly. We need to reward long-rotation, lower-impact logging if we are serious about tackling climate change.
Read MoreToday, the House Agriculture Committee passed Rep. Westerman’s “Resilient Federal Forests Act,” a piece of legislation that would make clear-cutting forests significantly easier and undermine environmental review. Movement on the legislation follows…