April 24 is Arbor Day, when Americans will gather to plant trees on city streets, in parks and within other open spaces. But this year, as wildfires, drought and flooding threaten communities from California to the Carolinas, we need to think bigger than individual saplings.
Arbor Day was founded in 1872 to green the once-treeless Great Plains. But 154 years later, our challenge isn’t a lack of trees — it’s a lack of understanding about what healthy, functioning forests actually deliver.
When properly managed and conserved, forests can produce timber sustainably, support wildlife, reduce wildfire risk, feed watersheds and strengthen rural communities. But current policy often treats these as competing goals when they’re not.
Several stubborn myths keep us from effective forest conservation. Science has debunked them, but policy hasn’t caught up.
Myth: Conservation kills timber jobs.