We need to build a mountain of resistance to the upcoming war by President-elect Donald Trump on forests.

His selection of Gov. Doug Burgum for secretary of the interior, which oversees 500 million acres of public lands, has been criticized by many environmental groups around the country. Keiran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, put it succinctly when he wrote “Burgum will sacrifice our public lands and endangered wildlife on the altar of the fossil fuel industry’s profits.” The national parks, monuments and wilderness areas could be opened up potentially to exploitation.

On top of this billionaire pick for the Interior, Trump has selected a former aide, Brooke Rollins, to head up the Department of Agriculture, which oversees close to 178 million acres of forested land — 154 national forests. Rollins, aside from having no experience, has a long history of being a climate change denier. She supported the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and was in favor of the first Trump administration’s effort to repeal a clean power plan that would have reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Rollins has been quoted as saying “the research of CO2 being a pollutant is just not valid.” In addition she has worked closely with pro-fossil fuel groups.

The good news is that President Biden, by executive order in April 2022, initiated a very comprehensive analysis of the old growth and mature forest on federal land. The study was conducted by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. In the executive order it stated that forests on federal lands, which include many mature and old-growth forests, will be managed “to promote their continued health and resilience; retain and enhance carbon storage.”

Both old growth forests and mature forests are mega carbon sinks and need to be protected from logging (about 10% is old growth 45% is mature forest; combined, this makes up about 113 million acres). These lands sequester every year an amount of carbon pollution generated from the tailpipe of 300 million vehicles. In our fight to save the planet from the worst effects of climate change we must protect these forests at all costs.

I think it is fair to say in summary that the new Trump administration will not only endorse the “drill baby drill” slogan, but will also support the “cut baby cut” approach. I know many forest activists who are burned out and want to stick their heads in the sand. I get it. The Washington arena looks dismal, but we need more than ever to get our voices heard. Endless pressure is the only way.

There are two court cases seeking injunctions against logging mature and old growth which could be precedent setting. One, in the Green Mountain National Forest, is in draft form; the other, in the White Mountain National Forest, involves 3,000 acres of old growth and mature forest on the chopping block.

The cut in the Green Mountain, according to the Forest Service’s own data, will release 59,556 tons of carbon from the logging operations alone. This is equal to the carbon released by approximately 60,000 cars annually. In addition, the cut on old growth and mature forest in both the White and Green mountains would remove a significant acreage of the two age classes, old and mature, with the highest rate of annual carbon sequestration.

The bottom line is that there should be an absolute ban on cutting old growth and mature forest on all public lands, effective immediately. All forestry operations should be based on maximizing carbon intake.

We need to tirelessly push for a transformation in the way we look at and treat the forests. We are all aware how much the forests do for us as carbon sinks and in terms of clean water, clean air, temperature and weather modifiers, and in supporting biological diversity.

A standing forest’s natural capital is much more valuable than a clear-cut forest. Former President Carter wrote, “I have never been happier, more exhilarated, at peace, rested, inspired, and aware of the grandeur of the universe and the greatness of God than when I find myself in a natural setting not much changed from the way He made.” As Carter understood, we need to treat our forests with respect and reverence for all that they do to sustain us.

Now more than ever, forests are central in terms of saving the planet from the catastrophic outcomes of a rapidly warming planet. We must move away from exploitation and fully endorse a new relationship with the natural world.

Jonathan Carter of Lexington Township is director of the Forest Ecology Network. He is a former Green candidate for Congress and governor, educator at the University of Maine at Farmington, and a botanist by training-turned-forest activist.