ANCIENT & IRREPLACEABLE
The Case Against Logging Old-growth Forests
Edward E. Starkey PhD
Written with assistance from Claude
In February 2026, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a Notice of Intent signaling a process to revise Resource Management Plans governing approximately 2.5 million acres of timberlands across 18 counties in western Oregon. This planning process was triggered by an Executive Order from President Trump to increase timber harvests on federal lands by 25%.
The stated goal: return timber harvest to “historically higher levels” — the billion-board-feet-per-year pace of the 1960s. That would mean roughly quadrupling the 267 million board feet harvested in 2025. To accomplish that, they plan to manage nearly all BLM timberlands for maximum sustained harvest.
As a retired wildlife biologist who was a member of the team of scientists (Forest Ecosystem Assesment Team, FEMAT) that developed the ecological basis for the Northwest Forest Plan ( NWFP), I believe the ecological stakes could not be higher. The NWFP was developed in response to the listing of the northern spotted owl as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). It created old-growth forest reserves designed to provide habitat suitable for northern spotted owls as well as other old-growth dependent species such as the marbled murrelet, Pacific fisher, red tree vole and coho salmon. Under the BLM’s suggested alternative, these former reserves would be managed for maximum sustained harvest, making them vunerable to clearcut logging.
Why Old-Growth Forests are Irreplaceable
Old-growth forests are not simply large trees. They are ecosystems of extraordinary complexity — layered canopies, standing snags, massive downed logs, rich understory vegetation, and mycorrhizal networks that younger forests cannot replicate on any human timescale. The Douglas firs of western Oregon can live more than 1,000 years. To help put that in perspective, some of these trees were seedlings when the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099 AD. These are not renewable resources in any practical sense. However, Several conservation groups have sued the BLM over recent planned timber sales, which include thousand-year-old Douglas firs in stands that are scheduled for harvest.
Pacific Northwest coastal rainforests are among the most carbon-dense ecosystems in the world. Most of this carbon is stored in the largest trees,with old-growth forests containing far more carbon than managed forests. Clearcutting these high-biomass forests would result in enormous losses of carbon from these ecosystems
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Following the maximum sustained yield philosophy, these areas would become plantations with harvest rotation intervals of less than 80 years. With every subsequent harvest, a significant amount of carbon would be lost from the system. The rotation cycle is not long enough allow full recovery of either the biomass or the complex soil carbon structures that old-growth accumulates.
Old-growth Dependent Species
The northern spotted owl has declined by 35 to over 80 percent in some study areas over the past two decades. Although some of these losses are a result of increased competition from barred owls, availability of critical habitat is a significant limiting factor. The marbled murrelet, which nests exclusively in old-growth trees, faces a similar crisis. Coho salmon — dependent on the shade and woody debris of intact riparian forests — are also federally listed. The Endangered Species Act’s Section 7 requires that federal actions must not jeopardize listed species. It is difficult to see how a return to 1960s harvest levels could meet that standard.
Economic Values
Old-growth forests generate economic value beyond timber. They provide a wide range of valuable ecosystem services, incuding:
- Carbon storage in living biomass, woody debris, and soil
- Streamflow regulation and summer water release
- Clean water for salmon, steelhead and humans.
- Habitat for spotted owls, marbled murrelets, and Pacific fisher
- Salmon habitat creation via large in-stream logs
- Wildfire buffering through thick bark and moist understory
- Cultural and spiritual significance for Indigenous peoples
- Recreational, aesthetic, and scientific value
Collectively, the value of these and other ecosystem services significantly exceeds the value of timber that could be harvested. However, the current administration considers old-growth forests as assets for which value is determined only by the harvestable volume of timber. Essentially, President Trump has ordered the liquidation of the old-growth asset rather than allowing it to exist and provide high value services for future generations
The Bottom Line
I am not asking for the end of all timber harvest. I am asking for science-based management that protects remaining old-growth stands, complies with the Endangered Species Act and honestly reckons with the climate costs of felling ancient trees. And it’s about time that politicians wake up and recognize the high values associated with the ecosystem services of these ancient forests. Hopefully, environmental conservation groups will be able to use litigation to delay the clearcutting of these forests until there is a change in the Administration.
Also, This would be a good time to contact your Congressperson and Senators to express your support for old-growth forest reserves.
Originally published at https://starkeye.substack.com.
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