Despite Biden's Promise to Protect Old Forests, His Administration Keeps Approving Plans to Cut Them Down
Despite Biden's Promise to Protect Old Forests, His Administration Keeps Approving Plans to Cut Them Down
www.propublica.org Despite Biden's Promise to Protect Old Forests, His Administration Keeps Approving Plans to Cut Them Down
In Oregon’s Coast Range, mature forests can absorb more carbon per acre than almost any other on the planet. Yet logging here continues at a steady pace, putting the environment at risk.
Reporting Highlights
- Earth Day Promise: In 2022, President Joe Biden announced a new effort to protect old forests, which are key to the fight against climate change. But it hasn’t made much of a difference.
- Logging Continues: The Bureau of Land Management has allowed timber companies to cut these forests at a faster pace since Biden's executive order than in the decade that preceded it.
- Legal Battles: Conservation groups keep suing over what they claim are rushed timber sales, and they keep winning — but under a Trump administration, they may be unable to keep up.
