Deep in the Willamette National Forest, near the headwaters of the McKenzie River, lies a place known to many as “Flat Country.” Flat Country is home to a diverse, mature forest of Douglas-fir, western hemlock, red cedar and several spring-fed creeks that source cold, clean water to the McKenzie River downstream.

Nestled between the Mt. Washington Wilderness and the McKenzie River corridor, this area is an outdoor playground. To the east, the Robinson Lake trail leads into the Mt. Washington Wilderness. To the west lies the popular McKenzie River Trail and Tamolitch Falls/Blue Pool Trailhead. And everywhere in between, there are opportunities to fish for trout in the McKenzie and its tributaries, camp along spring-fed streams and alpine lakes, and marvel at the surrounding ancient forest.

But Flat Country isn’t the name of a nearby trail or campground; it was the name of a U.S. Forest Service timber sale and logging project. Over 2,000 acres of mature forest were proposed to be logged here before the Forest Service withdrew those plans after immense local opposition, public pressure and an Executive Order from the President in 2022 that directed federal agencies to develop policies to protect mature and old-growth forests on federal lands as a natural climate solution.

Flat Country is just one example of a mature and old-growth forest on federal public lands that has recently been targeted for commercial logging. It is also one of the featured forests in a newly released film titled “Crown Jewels,” which documents a year-long journey through some of the last ancient forests left in the US–including stops in West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Oregon.

The film is directed by Alex Haraus, a renowned environmental activist and impact producer with a following of over 750,000 across Instagram and TikTok, Haraus is involved with a national campaign to protect mature and old-growth forests across the U.S. Through his activism on social media, over half a million comment letters were submitted by the public to the Forest Service last summer in support of protecting these forests.

As a draft old-growth forest plan amendment is currently being rolled out by the Forest Service, “Crown Jewels” explores what may be gained, or lost, as a result of the final decision. Through interviews with local experts and forest advocates, we learn about the multitude of benefits these forests provide–carbon storage, wildlife habitat, clean air and water, cultural importance, fire resiliency, and outdoor recreation, to name a few.

“There are (currently) over 30 (logging projects) proposed in mature and old-growth forests on federal public lands,” Haraus says in the film. “If enough of us write in (public comments) to get this amendment written well, we could save millions of acres of our most helpful forests from being lost all at once.”

The film is available to watch for free on YouTube.