What Biden can do for America’s forests before he leaves office

Kate and Aaron are joined by Dr. Dominick DellaSala, Chief Scientist at Wild Heritage, a project of the Earth Island Institute. Dr. DellaSala came on The Landscape twice last year to talk about the Biden administration’s plans to protect mature and old growth forests. He recently wrote an op-ed for the Seattle Times in which he says the Forest Service’s is still planning to allow logging in mature and old growth forests. We talk about why that’s the case, how the Old Growth Amendment process plays into this, and what the Biden administration can do about it, then discuss recent headlines about wildlife connectivity in forests and carbon sink failure.

News

• Biden delivers “long overdue” apology in Arizona for Indian boarding school atrocities – CBS
• White House must redirect the Forest Service to preserve old forests – Seattle Times
• USDA Announces Department-wide Effort to Support Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Connectivity – USDA
• Trees and land absorbed almost no CO2 last year. Is nature’s carbon sink failing? – The Guardian
• Group puts up fence, claims ownership over 1,400 acres of Colorado forest, sparking outrage – Colorado Sun

Resources

• Land Management Plan Direction for Old-Growth Forest Conditions Across the National Forest System – U.S. Forest Service

Credits

Hosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss

Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org

Music: Purple Planet

Featured image: Old growth forest, Oswald West State Park, Oregon; USFWS/Flickr

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