RICHMOND, Va. – A conservation group wants to designate an old-growth forest in every county in the United States that has forestland - and four in Virginia already are on the list.

The Old Growth Forest Network estimates only about one percent of the original forestland in the eastern U.S. is still in pristine condition, and only five percent out West.

Ernie Reed, president of Wild Virginia, said almost all the forested land in Virginia was logged, burned, developed or overtaken by invasive species in the past 150 years or so – and what's still standing is in recovery.

"These forests that we have are extremely precious and extremely important, but they aren't what was here before," Reed said. "It's our job to kind of actively bring them back, as best we can. We can have areas where the natural processes dominate what's going on."

He said protecting large forested areas is critical because their genetic diversity makes them more resilient, giving them better odds against continued threats from invasive plants and animals.

The Virginia forests in the old-growth network so far are the Fernbrook Natural Area, Glencarlyn Park, Whiteoak Canyon and the James Madison Landmark Forest.

According to Joan Maloof, executive director of the Old Growth Forest Network, about three out of four counties nationwide have forests worth preserving. She said tall trees help identify an older forest, but tree age isn't the only consideration.

"You will find some trees that are larger than you would find in a more recently logged forest, and they're home for so many organisms: so much fungi, so many insects, so many reptiles and amphibians," she explained.

Maloof added volunteers are key to saving forests across the country and her group is looking for people who can help.

They also take nominations for areas to be considered for inclusion in the Old Growth Forest Network, online at oldgrowthforest.net.


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From power outages to burnt farmland, North Dakota is coming to grips with the impact of several large wildfires that are linked to at least two deaths. The fires intensified this past weekend around the western half of the state, with crews working in recent days to get them under control. Gov. Doug Burgum said when they get the final numbers, it is possible the fires will have consumed as many as 50,000 acres of farmland.

Daryl Ritchison, North Dakota State Climatologist, said windy and dry conditions fueled the devastation, adding that there's no doubt the agricultural community was hard hit.

"Farmers lost cattle. Farmers lost grazing land. Farmers lost houses. Farmers lost their fencing," he continued.

The North Dakota Farmers Union reminds ranchers who lost cattle, pasture and equipment in the fires that the federal Farm Service Agency has resources to help them recover. Information can be found on the USDA website. Meanwhile, the governor has said this could be one of the worst groups of fires in state history when factoring in acreage.

Ritchison suggested it's too early to link this disaster to climate change, noting the state's history with prairie fires, especially this time of year, and added that if there is a silver lining, early warnings to farmers - to pause their fall harvest - appeared to be effective.

"If there's any good in this, I think it could have potentially been even worse considering the wind gusts up to 60, 70 miles per hour, how dry the conditions were, the low relative humidity," he explained.

Globally, scientists say climate change is one of several factors as to why wildfires are becoming more destructive and difficult to contain. It's prompting more calls for state and local governments to become better prepared and alert the public ahead of time. A recent report found that preparation lapses hindered evacuations during the deadly Maui fires in Hawaii last year.

New legislation making its way through the U.S. Senate would conserve more than 730,000 acres of federal public lands in and around Colorado's Gunnison Basin.

Tony Prendergast, a cattle rancher near Crawford, was one of a number of stakeholders who worked for a decade to shape the legislation. He said farmers, ranchers, hunters, anglers, hikers, mountain bikers, wildlife advocates and others realized the lands were being "loved to death," and if nothing was done, everyone would lose.

"We came together to say, 'Well, how can we work together to protect what exists, and protect it well in the future and into future generations?'" Prendergast explained.

The Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act, led by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., taps federal wilderness and special management area protections for important fish and wildlife habitat. The bill would also transfer the Pinecrest Ranch into a sovereign land trust for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Six Colorado counties and 16 advocacy organizations support the measure but some in Congress continue to oppose any increased public lands protections.

The measure would not affect water rights or existing land uses, such as mining or oil and gas leases. But Prendergast pointed out the legislation will give land managers the tools they need to mitigate conflicts after a surge in outdoor recreation.

"New mountain bike trails were appearing all the time," Prendergast noted. "The motorized recreation was spreading out across the landscape. Gates were being left open. There would be conflicts, livestock dogs chasing off mountain bikers."

He added the legislation would also allow land managers to prioritize the needs of wildlife during critical times, such as the end of winter when animals are weak and nutrition levels are at their lowest.

"In an area where wildlife is close to having their young, there may need to be closures from dusk to dawn from human activity, so wildlife can have a break," Prendergast added.


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A new federal proposal details which public lands across the West would be open to solar development. Wildlife advocates are glad to see that some - but not much - of Wyoming is included.

The Western Solar Plan by the Bureau of Land Management opens 31 million acres across 11 western states to potential solar-power development. In Wyoming, 3.8 million acres would be open for potential permits, far less than the combined 15 million acres currently available through independent plans from the state's BLM field offices.

Julia Stuble, Wyoming state director for The Wilderness Society, said wildlife is sensitive to development, especially in migration corridors critical to big game - and the plan incorporates new research on the needs of those species.

"Being included in this proactive approach - where BLM is looking at areas to exclude and making those decisions now, and not in response to a project proposal - is just a tremendous update for us," she said.

According to a statement from the White House, the Western Solar Plan streamlines the permitting process and allows the BLM flexibility in permitting. But the agency's actual need for solar development through 2045 is expected to use less than 2% of the 31 million-acre total, or about 700,000 acres.

As the BLM slows coal leasing in the West, Stuble said she hopes to see more moves to conserve wildlife in the energy transition, such as building on lands that have already been disturbed and areas near pre-existing transmission lines. She said she thinks the agency is headed in the right direction.

"The updated programmatic planning, I think, will take us many more steps closer to making sure that we're not siting solar in places that have really important community values, or ecological values." she said.

Stuble said those include lands popular for recreation, as well as those that are important or sacred to tribal nations. The plan is expected to be finalized by the end of this year.


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