Andy Kerr

Conservationist, Writer, Analyst, Operative, Agitator, Strategist, Tactitian, Schmoozer, Raconteur

How Much Mature and Old-Growth Forest Does the US Have Left?

June 05, 2023 in 30x30, Administration, Bureau of Land Management, Climate Change, Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior, Federal Lands, Forest Service, Forestry, Forests, Presidents, Regulation

Any inventory reveals that most of the nation’s mature and old-growth forests have fallen to the saw. Not only must all that remains remain, but degraded forests should also be allowed to become mature and old-growth forests once again.

Biden’s Executive Order on Forests, Part 1: A Great Opportunity

May 10, 2022 in 30x30, Bureau of Land Management, Climate Change, Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior, Ecosystems, Federal Lands, Forest Fires, Forest Service, Forests, Presidents, Regulation

President Biden is poised to enter the pantheon of forest-protecting American presidents.

The Oregon Private Forest Accords, Part 2: Grand Bargain, Mere Détente, or Great Sellout?

December 27, 2021 in Forestry, Forests, Legislation, Private Lands, Regulation

While the Oregon Private Forest Accords is a grand bargain with a great net gain for the conservation of Oregon forestlands, it is not a complete one. A comparable grand bargain is needed for terrestrial species conservation on Oregon’s private timberlands. Regulation of private land is inadequate to provide optimal public benefits. More private timberland should be reconverted to public forestland.

The Oregon Private Forest Accords, Part 1: The Deal and Its Significance

December 19, 2021 in Forestry, Forests, Private Lands, Regulation

The OPFA—an agreement between Oregon private timberland interests and conservation and fishing interests to convince the Oregon Legislative Assembly to rewrite the Oregon Forest Practices Act in the 2022 short session—is epic. If legislators agree, conservation requirements on the state’s private timberlands will be strengthened significantly.

Public Lands Blog

Blog Posts by Category

A ~1,000-word weekly exposition on some aspect of federal or state public lands in the United States. Some blog posts goes rather deep and serve as a useful (I hope) backgrounders on particular public land areas, matters or issues. Other weeks, you’ll find a topical piece addressing a public lands controversy of the moment. This blog not only defends, but also extols, public lands.

Andy Kerr of The Larch Company (www.andykerr.net) splits his time between Ashland, OR and Washington, DC. He has been significantly involved in the enactment of more than 25 pieces of federal and state legislation and in copious litigation pertaining to public lands. Dedicated to the conservation and restoration of nature, The Larch Company is a non-membership for-profit organization that represents species that cannot talk and humans not yet born. A deciduous conifer, the western larch has a contrary nature.

If you wish to contact me, I will probably be glad you did.