skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump and allies prepare to take power after a decisive win over Harris; Advocates continue to fight for Medicaid expansion despite election setback; Some Louisiana residents eligible for broader health coverage; MA educators, parents celebrate the end of MCAS graduation requirement.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris concedes, but promises to 'fight on' in a speech at Howard University. Republicans celebrate a potential red sweep, though a House majority is still uncertain. And a statehood mandate gains support on Puerto Rico.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Abortion care can be five minutes away in California or 11 hours for women in Texas, rural living proves a mixed blessing for veterans, an ancient technique could curtail climate-change wildfires, and escape divisive politics on World Kindness Day.

VA Groups Urge Feds to Protect Old-Growth Forests

play audio
Play

Friday, February 25, 2022   

The George Washington and Jefferson national forests cover 1.8 million acres of land across several states, including Virginia. Now, advocates are pushing for new protections for the oldest residents of the forests.

A coalition of environmental groups is urging the Biden administration to establish new rules safeguarding old-growth trees on federal lands.

Elly Boehmer, director of Environment Virginia, said such trees play a critical role in forest ecologies.

"They moderate temperatures, improve our soil health and then obviously provide habitat for countless [numbers] of our favorite wildlife species," Boehmer outlined.

According to the Climate Forests campaign, 17.2 billion metric tons of carbon are stored in the country's national forests, and older trees can store more carbon than their younger counterparts.

A 2019 report from the Ecological Society of America found forests offset more than 11% of America's greenhouse-gas emissions each year.

Virginia has lost much of its old-growth woodland to centuries of logging. Boehmer explained while a complete moratorium on future logging in national forests is unlikely, establishing some form of federal guidance for timber harvesting is critical.

"So the U.S. Forest Service right now doesn't actually have a policy to coordinate the actions to protect and grow our mature trees that provide all of these wonderful benefits," Boehmer pointed out.

The Biden administration said tackling climate change is a major item on its policy agenda. Last January, the president issued an executive order which, in part, promised to create new jobs through reforestation and conservation efforts.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
City governments are strengthening financial security for families through reimagined debt-collection practices, equitable ability-to-pay processes and increased access to financial empowerment services. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Young people convicted of crimes in Pueblo can now avoid serious and long-lasting consequences when they are unable to pay fines or victim restitution…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin experienced its first election using the state's new competitive political maps, and experts said it made a significant difference in …

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota voters this week signed off on giving a longer shelf life to a funding tool helping protect the state's natural resources and its backers se…


Protestors rallied for Medicaid expansion at the Kansas Statehouse in March. (Lacey Kennett/Alliance for a Healthy Kansas)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Health-care advocates are vowing to continue their fight to expand Medicaid in Kansas - despite this week's election, which expanded the Republican …

Social Issues

play sound

Once homeless and suffering from addictions himself, Joplin's mayor now leads a crusade to help others overcome the same hardships. About 53,000 …

California voters rejected the latest effort to raise the minimum wage statewide and to allow cities to enact local rent control. (IcemanJ/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

California political analysts say inflation and voter confusion contributed to the failure of propositions to raise the minimum wage and allow stronge…

Social Issues

play sound

Advocates of criminal-justice reform warn the passage of Proposition 36 will mean a sharp reduction in funds to anti-crime initiatives. The measure …

Social Issues

play sound

Donald Trump's victory in the race for the White House was again aided by wins in rural states such as Nebraska. While other contributing factors …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021