National forests in the Pacific Northwest were set to be protected under two major updates to forestry plans — but that changed when the Biden administration abruptly terminated an effort to conserve old growth forests across the country. …Now environmental groups are holding out hope for a different proposal: an update to the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan, which covers 24.5 million acres of national forests spanning Washington, Oregon and Northern California. …The U.S. Forest Service says efforts to modernize that plan with new protections remain in the works. The Forest Service published its draft Northwest Forest Plan proposal in November, and it is collecting public comments until March 17. …Northwest regional forester Jacque Buchanan said that the termination of the national old growth policy will have “no effect” on the Plan’s update. Environmental groups worried that Trump would be apt to overturn old growth protections, preventing the Forest Service from approving similar policies in the future.