FILE - Climbing assistant Lawrence Schultz ascends the Three Sisters sequoia tree during an Archangel Ancient Tree Archive expedition to plant sequoia seedlings on Oct. 26, 2021, in Sequoia Crest, Calif. The Biden administration on Thursday, June 20, 2024 advanced its proposal to protect old growth trees that are increasingly threatened by insects, disease and wildfires as climate change worsens. FILE - In this Aug.
The proposed changes mark a shift within an agency that historically promoted logging. They’re expected to be finalized before President Joe Biden’s first term ends in January and come after the Democrat issued athat directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to identify old growth forests across the nation and devise ways to conserve them.Old-growth forests, such as the storied giant sequoia stands of northern California, have layer upon layer of undisturbed trees and vegetation.
The new analysis follows a separate report on threats to old growth forests that was finalized last week. It concluded wildfire, insects and disease have been the main killers of old growth trees since 2000, accounting for almost 1,400 square miles losses .