New Hampshire — Can the White Mountain National Forest protect old-growth forest and provide a sustainable source of wood? We are a professional forester and environmental scientist who have spent most of our careers in forest conservation. We firmly believe the answer to the question is yes. Recent controversy over two proposed timber harvests in the White Mountains has landed in court, with a group from Vermont called Standing Trees arguing, among other things, that the proposed harvests will be harmful to forest ecology, recreation, and water quality. On the other side, the planned harvests are supported by a diverse coalition of interests, including the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests …we feel the White Mountain National Forest is doing a good job of protecting these ecological treasures as well as allowing for thousands of acres of mature forests to gradually, over many decades, develop old-growth forest characteristics.