Protect forests as a natural solution to climate change
If the Klamath-Siskiyou is known for one thing, it is trees. Forests filter drinking water, provide habitat for fish and wildlife, and make this region special in one more important way:
Forests help fight climate change.
Sadly, compared to the carbon dense unlogged forests that once blanketed western Oregon, a mosaic of clearcuts, logging roads, and timber plantations now dominate the landscape. These tree plantations store far less carbon and are much more vulnerable to the effects of climate change—particularly severe wildfires—than are native forests.
In March 2020, Oregon Governor Brown issued a historic Executive Order to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. State agencies are chipping in to provide concrete steps to meet climate goals including reducing greenhouse gas pollution from fossil fuels. While forest conservation is an obvious solution to climate change as forests store carbon, Oregon's Department of Forestry (ODF) must take action to change course on Oregon’s forests.
On the ten million acres of state and industrial forests that ODF regulates, rampant clearcut logging on short (average 50 years or less) rotation cycles is the most common practice. As a result, highly productive forests store far less carbon than they would if they were allowed to grow older. The carbon released from these forests stays in the atmosphere where it contributes to the climate crisis. With better, sustainable forest management, Oregon’s forests could be part of climate solutions. Today, they are part of the climate crisis.
The State of Oregon needs to outline steps to reduce climate change pollution and promote carbon storage in forests. We are asking that the Oregon Global Warming Commission step in and work with ODF to craft realistic solutions to climate change. ODF and the Commission need to begin a science-based process to reform Oregon's forest practices to store more carbon, protect water quality, and prevent pollution.