Dear President Biden, 

We, the undersigned, are writing to thank you for your executive order directing the conservation of mature and old-growth forests. We now call on you and your administration to realize the promise of the EO by creating a strong, lasting national rule that protects mature and old-growth trees and forests across federal public lands from logging. Protecting and recovering these natural climate solutions would be a key piece of U.S. climate policy, a sign of international leadership, and an enduring legacy of your administration. 

Safeguarding and expanding carbon-rich forests on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands is one of the most important, cost-effective, and timely approaches to fighting the climate crisis. Mature trees store and continue to absorb significant amounts of carbon in addition to providing the public with clean drinking water, habitat for imperiled wildlife, and world-class recreational opportunities. Larger, older trees are also more fire resistant, and the rule would allow for necessary efforts to address the risk of fire.

Unfortunately, vital mature forests and trees on federal lands are threatened by numerous proposed and ongoing logging projects, in spite of your executive order to conserve them. We need to ensure America's mature and old-growth trees and forests remain in place to mitigate climate change, and to maintain their natural benefits for future generations. Thank you for your leadership on these important issues. 

Sincerely,