THE GREAT AMERICAN STAND: US FORESTS & THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY
Natural forests are the most efficient climate-stabilizing technology we have. When left standing, natural forests can pull vast amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere, storing it in plants and soil. They’re also the best natural defense against the impacts of extreme weather events, providing flood control and stabilizing fresh water supplies.
Forest protection in the US, though, is not seen as a climate priority even though our country is the largest producer and consumer of wood products. Logging rates in the Southeast are four times as great as South American rainforests. Instead, government and industry often promote increased logging as a climate solution.
Now is the time for change.
Renowned climate scientist, Dr. William Moomaw, and Dogwood Alliance’s Executive Director, Danna Smith, have co-authored a groundbreaking report “The Great American Stand: US Forests & The Climate Emergency”. The report identifies the need for forest protection to be an urgent, national priority in the fight against climate change and as a safety net for communities against extreme weather events caused by a changing climate.
Watch Dogwood’s own Danna Smith present at TedXAsheville.
The report calls for a new wave of policies that recognize the indispensable benefits of standing forests, while demonstrating that greater protection and restoration of forests can create new economic opportunities for rural landowners and communities.
READ THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Read the entire report
DELVE DEEPER: Read Executive Director Danna Smith’s Feature Piece on Alternet About the Climate Crisis & Forest Protection
The movement has begun, but we need new policies to keep our forests standing now. You can help. Take a stand for American forests!