Old Growth Campaign

An earlier investigation by The Lands Council regarding the Forest Service's inventory of old growth in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests has evolved into an ongoing campaign focused on identifying, protecting, and connecting the last remaining old-growth forests in the Idaho Panhandle, Colville, and Kootenai National Forests.

Old growth is a late successional stage in the development of forests that has special significance for wildlife. Old growth is characterized by many large diameter trees up to hundreds of years old, with an often multi-layered canopy and stand decadence including the presence of large dead or dying trees and large down logs.

Many people love the aesthetic qualities of entering these ancient forests. Old-growth forests also serve as natural laboratories for research into the complex web of plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms that make up the ecological conditions found in these relatively rare ecosystems.

The same complex structural conditions and ecological processes found in old growth provide specialized habitat needs for hundreds of animal and plant species in the Inland Northwest. Old-growth associated wildlife include several listed under the Endangered Species Act and other rare or sensitive species including:

• Birds such as the northern goshawk, flammulated owl, pileated woodpecker, and pygmy nuthatch;
• Mammals such as the Canada lynx, woodland caribou, fisher, wolverine, and Townsend's big-eared bat;
• Amphibians such as the Coeur d'Alene salamander and western (boreal) toad.

Much old growth has already been lost through unsustainable logging and other developments. Through advocacy, science, and litigation our Forest Watch Program seeks to protect existing old growth, and promotes natural processes to restore and create old growth to ensure those species' survival.

Click below to learn more about our Old Growth Campaign!

 Forest Watch victory!

Forest Plan Revisions (coming soon)

Collaborative efforts (coming soon)

For more information about old growth, contact our Forest Policy Director, Jeff Juel at (509) 209-2401, or at jjuel@landscouncil.org.