Jim Furnish

FORESTS ARE complex ecosystems, beyond our full comprehension. But making the right call for the future of our national forests shouldn’t be nearly as complicated. In fact, some decisions are downright easy. During 35 years with the U.S. Forest Service, I had the privilege of working on behalf of our nation’s federally managed forests from coast to coast. But there is a special place in my heart for New England’s North Woods, where I started my career in 1968. I sent many trees to the mill. I also changed. As a close observer of the Forest Service for a half century, I am deeply troubled by the agency’s persistent, mistaken focus on timber production when there are larger issues at stake for our communities, the climate, and biodiversity. …ecosystems are more complex than we can grasp. But there’s nothing complicated about deciding to protect mature and old-growth forests on public lands. Just do it!