1. United States
2. Ga.
3. Letter

The president's executive order directing federal agencies to increase logging in national forests is deeply concerning. This regressive action undermines decades of environmental policy aimed at protecting our precious old-growth forests and biodiversity. Logging operations in these ecologically vital areas would accelerate deforestation, habitat loss for endangered species, and exacerbate climate change by diminishing nature's carbon sequestration capacity. Rather than exploiting our national forests for short-term timber profits, we must prioritize their conservation for the long-term benefits they provide. These invaluable natural assets purify our air and water, safeguard wildlife, offer recreational opportunities, and play a crucial role in mitigating global warming. Intensified logging would jeopardize these invaluable ecosystem services that sustain human and planetary wellbeing. I urge you to take a stand against this misguided order and champion policies that protect our national forests as a shared heritage for current and future generations. We have a responsibility to be wise stewards of these irreplaceable public lands and the biodiversity they harbor. Please work to uphold and strengthen environmental protections rather than undermining them at the behest of extractive industries.