SAF Response to USDA Climate Request
May 20, 2021
SAF recently submitted public comments in response to the Federal Register notice related to USDA’s role in the Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. With the help of a dedicated group of SAF volunteers, SAF’s comments highlight how active management and the continued and expanded use of forest products are all complementary to the Administration’s focus on “climate-smart” forestry.
Excerpt:
SAF believes that “climate-smart forestry” should consistently recognize the positive role that forest management plays in: (1) mitigating GHG emissions through the sequestration of atmospheric carbon in resilient, well-managed forests (trees and soil), producing wood-based products to replace both non-renewable materials and fossil fuel-based energy sources; and (2) adapting to future climate patterns through active forest management that reduces the risk of stand-replacing wildfire and other climate-driven disturbance emissions and avoids land-use changes from forests. (See SAF National Position Statement,
Forest Management, Carbon, and Climate Change).