a new era for forestry
how our relationship with forests has changed
American Hardwood Export Council
print & digital
written by seb lansdowne
The Biden administration has changed the relationship the worlds biggest economy has with trees. The 46th presidents’ predecessor, Donald Trump, set a precedent of disregard for forests: removing federal protection for the world’s largest intact temperate rain forest – Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, and also removing protection for over 3 million acres of land that is home to the endangered Northern Spotted Owl. Biden has repealed these policies – described as a moment finally getting America back to where they were in 2016.
The severity of wildfires in the US has also brought a sliver lining – the government is now providing much needed funding to their restoration. The Build Back Better Act is looking to invest billions of dollars into preventing forest fires and protecting habitats for forest animals. The parks departments across the nation were stripped of cash throughout the Trump presidency, and this will breathe some life back into their ability to protect wildlife and nature.
In November 2021, the COP26 meeting also led to an unexpected pledge – signed by 110 world leaders, including Brazil – to end deforestation by 2030. The pledge includes $14 billion of public and private funds. The signatory nations contain around 85% of the worlds forests, so this pledge could make a real difference if actually delivered upon – something that failed to happen after a 2014 pledge to halve deforestation.
“the biggest moment we’ve had in forests and nature, probably ever… it’s going to be something we look back on and say this is where we started to turn the tide”
Justin Adams –
Chief Executive of the Tropical Forest Alliance
At bwa we support sustainable forestry and protection of trees through our work with the American Hardwood Export Council. Developing a number of print and digital materials we have promoted projects showing the possibilities of wood as a material, and developed an interactive online tool to illustrate the amount of growth or removals in every state and county in the country.