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Mature and Old-growth Forests Questions and Answers


  1. Why not just leave all the mature and old-growth forests alone?
    A management approach in which natural processes are always allowed to occur without human intervention would not help conserve mature and old-growth forests under a changing climate nor would such a hands-off approach remedy degradation under past management practices. Actively managing mature and old-growth forests can help create a mosaic of conditions across the larger landscape that also promotes economically and socially strong communities and ecological sustainability. Active forest management is much more than commercial timber harvest – it includes tree planting, prescribed fire, fire suppression, weed control, timber stand improvement, tree thinning, and practices to improve fish and wildlife habitat.
  2. Why do the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management continue to harvest timber in mature and old-growth forests?
    Harvesting timber is one of the tools used to meet a wide variety of land management objectives, including fuels reduction, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat enhancement, and scenery management. Today’s harvest methods and technologies consider the mutual benefits of timber harvest, ecological resilience and integrity, and economic and social value to communities. Timber harvest supports a sustainable forest products sector, often important for rural community viability.
  3. What are the effects of fire exclusion on mature and old-growth forest landscapes in the Western United States?
    Decades of fire exclusion from forests, including mature and old-growth forests, in the Western United States has resulted in denser forests - an abundance of younger, smaller and medium size trees compared to historical conditions. When fires occur, these conditions can lead to uncharacteristically severe wildfires and undesirable ecological and social consequences.
  4. Are mature and old-growth forests better at mitigating climate change through carbon storage than young forests?
    Not necessarily. Carbon storage is not simple. Old growth is not the only age of tree that captures carbon. Both mature and young forests play important roles in storing carbon and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Old-growth forests tend to have a higher carbon density, meaning they store more carbon in each space than younger forests. Younger forests typically grow faster, meaning they remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere more rapidly. Younger, actively managed forests also transfer some of their carbon from live trees into forest products, where that carbon might be stored for long periods of time. For example, a southern tree from a high production forest is harvested, milled into boards, and used to build houses. The boards that go into those houses store carbon. The tree is removed from the forest, but the wood continues to store carbon. As much as 3 percent of the United States economy reflects carbon emissions that are moved into forest products. What is most critical for carbon storage is keeping forests of all ages healthy and resilient.
  5. How is climate change increasing the vulnerability of mature and old-growth forests?
    Climate change contributes to increases in wildfires (including high severity fires), extreme weather events (hurricanes, tornadoes), insect infestations, disease, and other stressors of mature and old-growth forests.  As exposure to and magnitude of these stressors increases, mature and old-growth forest vulnerability is also likely to increase.
  6. What are some ways that the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management can build upon and expand Tribal and Alaska Native Corporations co-stewardship of mature and old-growth forests?
    Along with unique ecological values, older forests reflect diverse Tribal, spiritual, cultural, and social values, many of which also translate into local economic benefits. By integrating Tribal management strategies and Indigenous Knowledge into mature and old-growth forest management, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management benefit from important perspectives and experience gained across centuries of managing mature and old-growth forests. Indigenous Knowledge helps the agencies better understand where and how to co-steward mature and old-growth forests with Tribal communities to meet mutual benefits.
     
https://www.fs.usda.gov/es/node/740870818