Organizations around the country and in Oregon are hoping the public will speak up on behalf of old-growth forests.

On June 21, the U.S. Forest Service opened a 90-day comment period as it considers an amendment that would ensure “consistent guidance for the stewardship, conservation, and recruitment of old growth across national forests,” according to the USDA.

A forest inventory ordered by President Biden in 2022 concluded that the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service manage a total of 112 million acres old-growth and mature forests, but that doesn’t mean they’re currently protected from threats.

“Many old-growth forests are under significant threat from climate change,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release at the opening of the comment period. “The Forest Service’s plan will help safeguard these iconic stands of trees through science-based management and conservation strategies that can be adapted to unique local circumstances on national forests. USDA is looking forward to receiving feedback on today’s draft proposal from Tribal, state and local governments, industry partners, conservation organizations, and many others; all of whom will be critical partners in the forest management and conservation actions needed to ensure the maintenance and growth of old-growth forests into the future.”

Local organizations Oregon Wild and Central Oregon LandWatch are urging their supporters to stand with forests during the comment period.

“The result of this process could be one of the most meaningful safeguards for old-growth trees in federal forests in decades, and that is an opportunity we can’t afford to miss,” Fiona Noonan, wild lands and water program manager at the LandWatch, said in an email about its petition supporting old-growth forest protection sent to supporters last week.

“Signing a petition is a great way to weigh in. It’s really just indicating to the federal government that there’s a groundswell, you know, there’s a huge proportion of people who really care that these forests are protected,” said Chandra LeGue, senior conservation advocate at Oregon Wild. “(People) love to see those big trees standing and adding to the reasons they go visit public lands.”

Opponents of increasing protections cite the fact that logging of old-growth forests on federal lands has been limited to just 14 square miles since 2000, whereas wildfire, disease and insects led to the loss of 1,400 square miles over that same time frame, the Associated Press reported in June.

Said Noonan of the LandWatch, “We really think they’re worth more standing than they are removed for, especially, commercial logging. The value that mature and old trees provide for overall biodiversity, for wildlife habitat for protection from flooding and erosion, protection of our drinking water, carbon storage, the list goes on.”

To sign the petition and learn more about the comment period, which continues through Sept. 20, visit centraloregonlandwatch.org.

For the petition, visit bit.ly/Support-Old-Growth-Sign-On.

“It’s a really exciting thing that we get to participate in the way our public lands are managed, and it matters,” Noonan said. “It can sound like it’s a drop in the bucket, but the Forest Service is listening, and the more we can add voices to the call for greater protection for mature and old-growth forests, the louder they’re going to hear that message.”