Between now and 2029, the conservation community needs to reorganize its operations to expand its political power so as to be able, should the opportunity arise, to greatly advance the conservation of public lands and waters in the United States.

The conservation community needs to be prepared to exploit the next big opportunity to greatly advance the conservation of public lands and waters in the United States.

In 1770 Edmund Burke said, “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one.” Culture rewrote it into “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” In this case, either works.

Bringing back old-growth forests at scale in New England can naturally remove massive amounts of carbon dioxide polluting the atmosphere, carbon that was once safely stored in big old trees.

Both the need and the potential exist to allow vast acreages of New England forestlands to again become old-growth forests.

Ron Wyden has a way to go to exceed the Oregon public lands conservation legacy of his predecessor, Mark Hatfield, but he can do it before he retires.

58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System are once again in existential jeopardy.

Both a need and opportunities exist to elevate the conservation status of state public lands.

If currently degraded forests are included in a national monument dedicated to long-term conservation, our grandchildren will be able to see the vast landscape of old-growth Douglas-fir forests that our grandparents saw.

While the number of big trees in the United States has generally been increasing, this increase is from an impoverished baseline and will soon reverse if Big Timber gets its way.

Big old trees play outsized roles in a forest stand in terms of biodiversity, carbon storage, and carbon sequestration.

America’s national forests have lost the greatest inside champion they’ve ever had.

A new scientific review of many scientific papers suggests it is not necessary to thin before reintroducing fire into fire-dependent forests. Part 2 examines the new science and its implications for policy.

A new scientific review of many scientific papers suggests it is not necessary to thin before reintroducing fire into fire-dependent forests. Part 1 sets the stage with a review of past thinking about thinning.

The reduction of surplus production capacity continues to result in lumber mill shutdowns, though the contributing factors cited have changed as times have changed.

The Forest Service’s announcement that it is going to amend all national forest land management plans to “conserve and steward” old-growth forests is a start, although it’s a third of a century late and the proposed amendment is as light on conservation as it is loose on stewardship. As now proposed, the amendment leaves out mature forests, and the agency would leave loopholes large enough for log trucks loaded with old-growth logs to drive through.

This is the second installment of a two-part series on the Forest Service seeking to amend the Northwest Forest Plan. Part 1 examined the motivation of Forest Service bureaucrats to release themselves from the shackles of the plan, all the while playing up happy talk about ecosystems and sustainability and downplaying the sad truth of more roading and logging. Part 2 examines how to strengthen the Northwest Forest Plan for the benefit of this and future generations.

This is the first installment of a two-part series on the Forest Service seeking to amend the Northwest Forest Plan. Part 1 examines the motivation of Forest Service bureaucrats to release themselves from the shackles of the plan, all the while playing up happy talk about ecosystems and sustainability and downplaying the sad truth of more roading and logging. Part 2 will examine how to strengthen the Northwest Forest Plan for the benefit of this and future generations.

This is the second installment of a two-part exploration of the impact of logging on watersheds that supply public water. Part 1 examined the benefits of older forests in providing and protecting water quantity, water quality, and timely release of water. Part 2 offers suggestions to protect watersheds that supply public water in order to improve quantity, quality, and timely release of water while also attaining coincidental conservation benefits for this and future generations.

The Forest Service has announced it is going to be proposing new regulations to address the “climate resilience” of the National Forest System. We can hope these will include the conservation and restoration of mature and old-growth forests and trees.