Old Growth
Updated 4/24/05

 
America's original forests have been under attack for a long, long time, but recently there have been some attempts to stanch the bleeding. 

Forest Service Chief Dombeck had declared a policy of protecting existing Old Growth forest, but he resigned at the end of March 2001, sensing that his attitudes about management of the National Forests were far from those of the Bush Administration.  He has been replaced by Dale Bosworth, a career Forest Service Timber Program man most recently a Regional Forester in the Idaho area.

       Old Growth protection policies are very important to us here, and as might be expected, Old Growth is often located in Roadless Areas.  Rob Messick, partly funded by Sierra Club, has been doing field work for several years, uncovering many more acres of old growth forest in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests than anyone had known existed.  He is working closely with the Forest Service to incorporate his findings in their inventories. 
How to recognize Old Growth
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