The Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, on behalf of the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior, are seeking public comments on the development of a definition framework for old-growth and mature forests on federally managed lands. This work will help inform how the departments respond to President Biden’s Executive Order 14072, Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities and Local Economies.

“The Forest Service looks forward to playing a role in convening the public, private and government land managers, the natural resources science community, and people and organizations across a broad spectrum with a focused interest on this important issue,” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “Old-growth and mature forests are a key component to healthy ecosystems. Synthesizing old-growth forest information on a national scale is a critical first step to informing further science questions and future management actions.”

“Old-growth and mature forests are critical to ensuring resilience in our forests in the face of climate change, and they play a key role in storing carbon,” said Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “We look forward to hearing from the public on how best to define and inventory them.”

Specifically, the Federal Register Notice published today seeks comments on the following questions:

• What criteria are needed for a universal definition framework that motivates mature and old-growth forest conservation and can be used for planning and adaptive management?
• What are the overarching old-growth and mature forest characteristics that belong in a definition framework?
• How can a definition reflect changes based on disturbance and variation in forest type/composition, climate, site productivity and geographic region?
• How can a definition be durable but also accommodate and reflect changes in climate and forest composition?
• What, if any, forest characteristics should a definition exclude?

The agency will offer a live informational session that will be recorded and posted on the agency’s website.

Executive Order 14072, issued in April, tasks the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to jointly define, identify and complete an inventory within one year of old-growth and mature forests on lands managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The order also calls for the publication of an inventory of old-growth and mature forests on these lands, accounting for regional and ecological variations, as appropriate.

This and subsequent work on old-growth and mature forests also supports USDA’s 10-year strategy, Confronting the Wildfire Crisis: A New Strategy for Protecting Communities and Improving Resilience in America’s Forests.

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About the USDA Forest Service

The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands across public lands and works with local, state, tribal and other federal governments. Forest Service activities are carried out through: protection and management of natural resources on National Forest System lands; research on all aspects of forestry, rangeland management, and forest resource utilization; community assistance and cooperation with State and local governments, forest industries, and private landowners to help protect and manage non-Federal forest and associated range and watershed lands to improve conditions in rural areas; and international assistance in formulating policy and coordinating U.S. support for the protection and sound management of the world’s forest resources.

About the Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.