Old-Growth Forest Network

The mission of the Old-Growth Forest Network is to connect people with nature by creating a national network of publicly-accessible native and old-growth forests that are protected forever from logging. Majestic forests that supported abundant plant and animal life were this nation's inheritance. At least 95% of those forests in the western U.S., and over 99% in the east, have now been removed or radically altered. The organization's goal is to set aside a few forests, at least one in every county where forests can grow, and allow them to recover their old-growth characteristics. These "future old-growth forests" will ensure that generations to follow can experience native forests in their mature diversity and complexity. [10][11][12]

The Old-Growth Forest Network was founded by Joan Maloof, Salisbury University, now Executive Director of the organization. She spends her time lecturing, writing, visiting forests, assisting private landowners, and supporting local groups trying to protect community forests from development.[13] The work of the Old-Growth Forest Network is also supported by staff and volunteers, including County Coordinators who act as liaisons to the managers of the dedicated forests in the network.[14][15]

Joan Maloof began her journey into the American forest as a scientist. She enjoyed studying the natural workings of the planet – the systems that enable the trees and flowers and animals to subsist on their own with no help from humans. But when she looked around for natural places to study she found that almost everything had been affected by humans. She also became aware that the oldest forests - some of the most natural and biologically diverse places on earth — were being logged and converted into managed forests - monoculture tree farms. Maloof was not opposed to harvesting trees for board and fiber, but as an ecologist she knew that when we do we are sacrificing biodiversity. And she came to realize that we are also sacrificing beauty.

Maloof realized that as a scientist she could do very little to ensure that at least some of the forests would be left alone, but that as a writer she could share what other scientists had learned about the importance of ancient forests. So she made the transition from scientist to writer, and wrote Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest.[16] The first chapter of that book describes visiting an eastern old-growth forest, a forest that had never been logged. Her readers, few of whom had ever witnessed an old-growth forest, wanted to know how they could get to visit one. There were a few left, but very little information existed about how to find them. So that led to book number two: Among the Ancients: Adventures in the Eastern Old-Growth Forests,[17] reflections on one old forest in each of the twenty-six Eastern states—with directions.[18] Maloof went on to author two more books as well: Nature's Temples: The Complex World of Old-Growth Forests,[19] and The Living Forest: A Visual Journey Into the Heart of the Woods,[20] a coffee-table book featuring the photography of Robert Llewellyn.

In her journeys to these forests, and in her journeys through the forestry literature, Maloof learned that very few of our original forests have not been logged or otherwise disturbed - less than 1% remain in the East, and 5% in the West. Thus began Joan Maloof's transition from writer to founder of an organization that would identify and help protect one forest in each county of the US where forests could grow and let people know where they were located. Her plan was to help stop the destruction of what old-growth remained, help some forests recover, and enable more Americans to experience an old forest. But it was not until 2011 that she left her university position and started working full-time to establish the Old-Growth Forest Network. With the help of her board, Maloof started building the network and educating others about it. In that first year, twenty forests were formally added to the Network and 600 supporters signed up. Maloof gave twenty-three lectures – including talks at Longwood Gardens, the US Botanical Garden, Cornell University and Penn State.[21][22]. By 2020, the Network had grown to over 100 forests in nearly half of the 50 states, with plans to expand dramatically.

When we look at a forest, very little appears to change from year to year, but change is happening slowly. Forests, like humans, can be classified as young, mature or old. Because of past disturbances old forests are the rarest. Sometimes the disturbance has come in the form of a tornado, an insect, or an intense fire; but most often the disturbance has been from logging. As a result only a few percent of the western forests are old-growth, and only a few tenths of a percent of the eastern forests.[23] The amount of old-growth forest has declined every year since European settlement on this continent. As a result, the ecological and cultural attributes of old-growth forests have not often been recognized.

All forest stages have an important ecological role to play, and the old-growth stage is especially important because of its unique structure. Various canopy layers and berry-producing plants are beneficial for many bird species. In a forest that has not been disturbed for hundreds of years, some trees will develop hollow cavities, and these cavities become important nesting places for animals. In an undisturbed forest some large trees will die and fall, creating yet more habitat: numerous insects, fungi, reptiles and amphibians benefit from the fallen trees. The moisture retained within an old-growth forests benefits lichen and mosses, and the species that live among the mosses and lichens. Old-growth forests are one of the few land uses where topsoil is created instead of destroyed. More carbon and nitrogen is retained in an old-growth forest than in forests of other age classes, and they play a role in improving water quality and air quality.

For the network to be within reach of all Americans, the organization will identify one forest that will be left forever wild within each county where forests naturally grow. Of the 3,140 counties in the US, it is estimated that about 75%, or 2,370 will support forests. Many of these counties already contain public forests so only a single one would need to be chosen and officially recognized as part of the network. In many counties it will be already protected Federal land which becomes recognized in the network, such as National Forest or Fish and Wildlife land. In other places, it may be a State Forest that is recognized. In some counties that have no State or Federal lands, the county or city itself may have some property that could become part of the network. The next level of landowners to be considered for voluntarily joining the network are likely to be nonprofit organizations such as land trusts or The Nature Conservancy. In the less common situations where there are no public lands and no nonprofit organization lands which can be included in the network, a county may appeal to a private donor or apply for federal grant funds, perhaps with the assistance of an organization such as The Conservation Fund.

The Old-Growth Forest Network's strategy is to identify candidate forests, ensure that they are publicly accessible and protected forever from logging, and recognize them as part of the network. Once dedicated, the forests are listed and publicized on the Old-Growth Forest Network's website. The organization believes that building the Network in this way will take very little financial investment, and that the preservation of over two thousand undisturbed, accessible forests will have a positive effect on both the humans and the wildlife in our nation.

Local activists contact the Old-Growth Forest Network to help protect community forests threatened with development. The organization advocates for forest preservation and assists local protection efforts where possible. Community forests that may not be as large, ecologically diverse, or as stringently protected can be inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network's Community Forest program.

Many of the oldest forests in the United States are privately owned. The organization advises private landowners about their forests and helps them realize their preservation goals. Private forest owners who commit to protecting their land in perpetuity through mechanisms such as a "Forever Wild" conservation easement (meaning it will never be logged)[24] may also receive recognition by the Old-Growth Forest Network's Private Forest designation.

• Old-Growth Forest Network's How to Save a Forest Toolkit
• Forever Wild Easements
• Intact Forests in the United States: Proforestation Mitigates Climate Change and Serves the Greatest Good

• Old-Growth Forest Network - official website