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Black Hills National Forest, Wyoming and South Dakota | Black Hills Resilient Landscapes Project



Why this forest is special

Seen from a distance these pine-covered hills, rising several thousand feet above the surrounding prairie, were named for the Lakota paha sapa, which mean “hills that are black.” Ponderosa pines dominate most of the forest. Old ponderosas give off a sweet scent, like vanilla or butterscotch. White spruce and aspen grow in the higher, wetter parts of the northern and central hills. The Black Hills National Forest was established in 1897 primarily as a response to wasteful, destructive timber practices. Sadly, those practices continue today.


The Black Hills Resilient Landscapes Project

This project authorized 180,000 acres, or 280 square miles, of “overstory removal.”

That’s the Forest Service phrase for logging most of the mature trees and cutting any tree over 9 inches in diameter.


Carbon storage and biodiversity

Ponderosa pine trees, one of the longest-living tree species, can grow to become hundreds of years old and more than 200 feet tall. They develop thick bark and a deep root system that is well adapted to wildfire and drought. As these trees age, they pull carbon from the atmosphere and store it for centuries. Goshawks and ospreys nest in the forests of the Black Hills and bald eagles visit in the winter. Many songbird species are here, including brilliantly colored mountain bluebirds and western tanagers.


Why these trees should remain standing

The Forest Service claims this project will enable new stands of trees to grow, “contributing

to sustained timber yield over time.” That rationale ignores the role mature and old trees play in carbon sequestration and storage, along with the scientific consensus on the urgent need to address climate change. This is nothing more than a destructive, commercial timber sale.


The future of mature and old-growth trees in Black Hills National Forest

Unsustainable overcutting has been going on for the past 15 years, targeting stands of old pine. More recently there have been beetle outbreaks and wildfire, two natural disturbances. Yet the pressure to sustain high levels of logging continues. That’s despite the fact that the Forest Service’s own scientists concluded that maintaining logging here at current levels “is not a sustainable option.” The outdated 2005 Black Hills Forest Plan guides all activities and significantly undermines efforts to address the climate and biodiversity crises. When trees reach maturity at about

80 years old, they are targeted for logging. The forest plan allows only 5% of the forest to

survive to become old growth.


Project status

Logging began in 2018. The Forest Service has refused to say how many acres have been logged.


How you can help

  • Sign our targeted letter to Secretary Vilsack and Secretary Haaland to call for durable protections for mature and old-growth forests on federal lands.

  • Submit Letters to the Editor about this project to your local newspaper.

  • Send emails and make phone calls to the Rocky Mountain regional Forest Service office to oppose the Black Hills Resilient Landscapes logging project.



Local contact: Dave Mertz, former forester, Black Hills National Forest, mertzdave1@gmail.com


תגובות


The Worth More Standing report spotlights federal forest-management practices that are liquidating mature and old-growth forests and trees every day. It includes 10 examples that are part of a pervasive pattern of federal forest mismanagement that routinely sidesteps science to turn carbon-storing giants into lumber. Learn what actions you can take to protect Climate Forests across the country.

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