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The
order Biden signs will create the first-ever inventory of
old-growth forests on federal lands and develop a plan to
conserve them. It will also task diplomats with doing more to
combat deforestation abroad, the White House said.
The massive, sometimes ancient trees that dot the Western U.S.
landscape absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, cutting the
emissions that cause climate change and also make wildfires more
likely.
They're at risk. A single fire in 2020 in California killed more
than 10% of the world's giant sequoia trees, National Park
Service scientists concluded.
"Wildfires and extreme weather events are growing in frequency
and ferocity, engulfing communities in the West and across the
country and costing lives, homes, and money," the White House
said in a fact sheet announcing the executive order.
Biden's visit to Washington state marks the latest in a series
of trips aimed at touting the administration's accomplishments
ahead of November's mid-term elections.
He is set to deliver his Earth Day remarks at Seattle's forested
Seward Park at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time (1730 GMT) before
visiting Green River College in Auburn, an hour's drive outside
of Seattle and part of Washington's 8th Congressional District.
That district will stage one of the three dozen or so
competitive races that will determine whether Biden's Democrats
retain control of the House of Representatives in November.
Democrats are counting on high levels of participation by young
and climate-focused voters to lift them to victory.
The $1 trillion infrastructure law Biden negotiated includes $8
billion for forest and land management activities. But much of
Biden's climate agenda remains stalled, awaiting sufficient
legislative support to secure Senate passage.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
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