MATSUI, HUFFMAN, SARBANES SUPPORT U.S. FOREST SERVICE OLD-GROWTH FOREST CONSERVATION PLAN

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA), Co-Chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), and Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and John Sarbanes (D-MD), sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in strong support of the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) proposal to amend all land management plans across the National Forest System to conserve existing old-growth forest and recruit future old-growth forest across America. The letter was signed by 48 House Democrats. 

“Old-growth forests are the bedrock of our National Forest System, providing a range of essential ecosystem services, from clean water and animal habitat to carbon sequestration and recreation. We must act to protect these forests and manage them responsibly,” wrote the lawmakers. “We strongly support the proposed national plan amendment, and we urge USFS to swiftly finalize and implement the proposed amendment and to ensure the amendment is durable under future administrations. Further, we urge USFS to strengthen and clarify the prioritization of ecological health when managing existing old-growth forests and to include strong and consistent direction for the recruitment of future old-growth forests. Finally, we urge USFS to promote tribal co-stewardship and integrate indigenous knowledge throughout the amendment.”

As co-chair of SEEC, Congresswoman Matsui has long been a champion of protecting critical habitat, preserving the environment, and advancing nature-based approaches to addressing climate change. This letter follows a letter the Congresswoman led last April with Reps. Huffman and Sarbanes, signed by 28 lawmakers, urging the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of the Interior (DOI) to safeguard mature and old-growth forests.

Read the full letter HERE.

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