From: Julie Lowe, Conservation Committee chair of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
Columbus
For the past seven years I have been writing letters to the editor about Indiana forests. I have sent out distress signals about how the Indiana Division of Forestry auctions off our state forests as “timber”, which is how they refer to our public forestland. More recently, I have written about how the US Forest Service (USFS) also has control of our public land, the Hoosier National Forest, and my disagreement with the Houston South Project. The “Forest Management Plan” the USFS proposes in the Hoosier near Norman has effects that will reach all the way to Lake Monroe in Bloomington. The Houston South proposal includes more than 15,000 acres to be logged and burned “to revitalize forest health by reducing stressors”, says local USFS staff.
I object to that notion. “Forest management” or silviculture is touted as a technique used to achieve specific goals for a forest ecosystem for desired outcome, like timber production, wildlife habitat and aesthetics. I call out the bias of timber production over wildlife!
Today I am writing to tell you some potential great news if it can be implemented in time. President Joe Biden made strong commitments to protect mature and old-growth national forests with an executive order in April 2022 specifically because of the climate crisis. Despite the order, old-growth forests on federal lands remain unprotected from logging, and the USFS is free to go forward with projects like Houston South and the Buffalo Springs project near Patoka Lake.
The great news is that an amendment to all 128 US forest management plans is now open for public comment. We the public, the stakeholders of federal forestland, can comment and show our support for the amendment that will carry out the order to protect mature and old growth forests for climate resiliency among other things like safeguarding forest creatures and biodiversity, reducing flood and erosion risk, clean drinking water, fire resistance, cultural values, outdoor recreation, and mental and spiritual well-being.
Protecting what little existing old-growth forests remain and protecting mature forests can help bring back older forests that soak up huge amounts of carbon dioxide that is heating up our atmosphere. Help save old-growth forests and climate resiliency by commenting in support of the USFS National Old Growth Amendment on the “Land Management Plan Direction for Old-Growth Forest Conditions across the National Forest System.”
We can respectfully comment and ask the US Forest Service to finish the job that President Biden started, protect all old growth from going to the sawmill and chart a course for protecting mature forests to increase old growth across our public lands.
Also in my opinion, state leaders managing our land should follow the national example by protecting older forests for the myriad benefits they provide, including climate resiliency, water quality, air quality, and the quality of life for future Hoosiers. Would it be so outrageous to ask for 10% of our state forests to be protected … forever?
