old growth forest Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Rule Protecting The Northwest’s Old-Growth Trees Is Under The Federal Government’s Ax

By Monica Samayoa August 12, 2020

Beyond the borders of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness are as much as 200,000 acres of undeveloped forest.

This latest rollback proposal, issued Tuesday, comes from the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region. It would end a 25-year-old provision that prevents logging of trees that exceed 21 inches in diameter in six national forests across Eastern Oregon and Washington.Read More

Forest Service Considers Rule Change That Prevented Logging Of Some Northwest Old-Growth Trees

By Courtney Flatt July 13, 2020

OSU scientists detect a tagged hermit warbler in the canopy of an old growth grove in the Oregon Cascades. Learning how the small song birds travel over the course of a day could provide insight into why bird populations are doing well in old growth forests while declining in other warming landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. CREDIT: GREG DAVIS

The land management plans, known as the “Eastside Screens,” came about in 1995 to protect old growth trees east of the Cascades. The rules were meant to be temporary. The Forest Service wants to amend a section of the policy called the “21-inch rule,” which prohibits harvesting trees that are greater than 21-inches in diameter.Read More

Research From Northwest Scientists Shows Negative Climate Change Effects On Old Growth Forests

By Courtney Flatt June 1, 2020

Deforestation, climate change and the disturbances it can exacerbate – like wildfires, extreme droughts and insect outbreaks – are decimating old growth forests across the globe. That means forests worldwide are filling in with younger and shorter trees, according to a new study.Read More