US moves to protect old growth forests as climate change threatens their survival

The Biden administration is moving to conserve groves of old-growth trees on federal land by revising management plans for national forests and grasslands across the U.S. The proposal Tuesday comes as climate change amplifies the threats that forests face from wildfires, insects and disease. It would sharply limit commercial timber harvests in old growth forests while allowing logging to continue on “mature forests” that have not yet reached old growth status. The timber industry has fought against logging restrictions on government-owned lands. Environmentalists say it's crucial to preserve older forests that offer wildlife habitat and other environmental benefits.