forests

Sierra Club Welcomes Emergency Protections for Giant Sequoias

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service initiated an emergency action to protect giant sequoias, in an area covering over 13,000 acres.

Report: Federal Logging Projects Put 10 Climate-Saving Forests On Chopping Block

In the report released today, Worth More Standing, the Climate Forests coalition details federal logging proposals targeting nearly a quarter of a million acres of old-growth and mature forests overseen by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The report outlines “a pervasive pattern of federal forest mismanagement that routinely sidesteps science to turn carbon-storing giants into lumber” and calls on the Biden administration to pass a permanent rule to protect these big old trees.

Logging Mature and Old Trees Threatens U.S. Climate Goals

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday signed a memorandum to clarify the U.S. Forest Service’s direction on climate policy. The memo, "Climate Resilience and Carbon Stewardship of America's National Forests and Grasslands," follows a recent White House executive order highlighting the importance of conserving mature and old-growth forests on federal lands as a climate solution. The memo, which lays out “actions to restore forests, improve resilience, and address the climate crisis”, falls short in meeting the ambition outlined in President Joe Biden’s order on old forests and trees. Secretary Vilsack acknowledges the role that older trees play in absorbing and storing carbon and supporting biodiversity. But he fails to outline a plan for his agency to protect mature and old-growth forests and trees from commercial logging.

Sierra Club Statement on President Biden’s Earth Day Announcement and Speech

Today, as calls continue to mount demanding bold climate action through legislation and administrative action, President Biden issued an executive order on climate forests and nature-based solutions. The order, which was detailed in a speech celebrating Earth Day, launches a process to define and inventory old and mature forests on federal lands, so that policies are enacted to conserve them, and initiates a nature-based solution assessment to understand nature capital and ecosystems to help in the preservation and conservation of natural places.

Conservation Groups Welcome Biden Order on Climate Forests

Today, President Joe Biden will issue an executive order that directs federal agencies to conduct an inventory of mature and old-growth forests on America’s federal lands so that policies can be adopted to protect them. The administration framed the move as a key strategy to store carbon and address climate change.

MEMO: Protecting Communities from Wildfire

From the fires to the heatwaves, sea-level rise, blackouts, and more, the climate crisis is here. A changing climate has increased the risk of unnaturally large and more frequent and dangerous fires. The long-term safety of our communities relies on reducing climate pollution, preserving forests to draw down climate pollution and moving away from polluting fuels, and supporting community resilience and preparedness against fires.

MEMO: Urban and Community Forestry Programs Big Winners in FY 2022 Budget

Trees and forests are essential for taking on the damaging effects of the climate crisis and for maintaining healthy communities and ecosystems. Last week, Congress took major steps towards supporting essential forestry and tree-planting programs that will make our communities more resilient to extreme weather and build up the critical green infrastructure we need to capture carbon and take on climate change. On this International Day of Forests, Sierra Club is calling on Congress and the White House to act to protect one of our greatest climate solutions: trees.

MEMO: To Address the Climate Crisis, We Must Protect our Forests

Conserving our remaining older forests and trees on federal public lands is one of the country’s most straightforward, impactful, and cost-effective climate solutions. If the Biden Administration is going to lead in solving the climate and biodiversity crises, it must protect these carbon critical climate forests and set an example for the world. Along with over 70 groups that support the Climate Forests Campaign, Sierra Club calls on the Administration to enact a strong, lasting rule that protects old and mature trees and forests across federal lands as a cornerstone of US climate policy.

The Missing Link in Biden’s Climate Agenda: Letting Older Trees Grow

Today, a coalition of more than 70 groups launched a new campaign called the Climate Forests Campaign, calling on the Biden administration to take executive action to protect mature trees and forests on federal lands, which are critical in the fight against climate change.

MEMO: Urban Trees: A Tool for Improving Health, Climate, and the Economy

Trees and forests are essential for taking on the damaging effects of the climate crisis and for maintaining healthy communities and ecosystems. President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda would make once-in-a-generation investments to support forestry and tree-planting programs and initiatives that are key to making our communities more resilient to extreme weather and building up the critical green infrastructure we need to take on climate change.

MEMO: Building Back Better Includes Our Forests and Green Spaces

Trees and forests are essential for maintaining healthy communities and ecosystems. The Build Back Better Act’s investments to support forestry programs and initiatives are key to making our communities more resilient to the climate crisis and building up the critical green infrastructure we need to take on the climate crisis. In total, the funding for forestry and related programs included in the Build Back Better Act could plant 38 million trees across the country.

Forestry Programs See Major Boost in Build Back Better Framework

President Biden and House Democrats have unveiled the framework for the Build Back Better Act, including the biggest investments in climate initiatives in American history. The package includes $27 billion to restore forests, fight wildfires, and sequester carbon through nationwide tree-planting and critical Old-Growth protection programs, among other major green space investments.