Biden administration falls short on forest protection despite pledges

President Biden's 2022 executive order aimed at protecting old-growth forests has failed to prevent significant logging in critical areas, as the Bureau of Land Management continues to approve timber sales.

April Ehrlich, Oregon Public Broadcasting, McKenzie Funk, ProPublica and Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting

In short:

Following Biden's 2022 order to preserve old forests, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) continues to permit extensive logging, auctioning off forest land in Oregon and elsewhere.
Conservation groups have repeatedly sued the BLM over rushed environmental reviews, leading courts to block some logging projects in old-growth areas.
Despite federal protections, timber sales since the executive order target forests older than 80 years at an accelerated rate compared to past administrations.

Key quote:

“There is a massive disconnect between the administration and what’s happening on the ground.”

— Nick Cady, Cascadia Wildlands attorney

Why this matters:

Older forests play a critical role in carbon sequestration, essential to mitigating climate change. Logging disrupts ecosystems, increases wildfire risk and threatens habitats for species like the spotted owl. Balancing economic interests with environmental goals remains a challenge for forest management policies.

www.propublica.org

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