About Protect Ancient Forests

Alyssa O’Brien, Co-founder

Greetings from Lincolnville, Maine where the forested mountains meet the sea.

Before imagining Protect Ancient Forests, I received a BS in Psychology and a M.Ed in Elementary Education.  Surrounding myself by the awe and wonder of young children, I felt inspired to dedicate myself to caring for our common home on behalf of future generations.

For me, Protect Ancient Forests is about singing on behalf of the woods, the wind, the water, and the wildlife. 

Protect Ancient Forests is a devotion to a dream to advocate for these precious ecosystems ~ places where I go to receive creative and spiritual renewal.

Michael O’Brien, Co-founder

Prior to Protect Ancient Forests, I studied Political Science and English and received a JD from the University of Maine School of Law. During law school, I worked as a stern man on a commercial lobster boat. Afterwards, I worked for the Maine Legislature’s Office of Policy and Legal Analysis, where I served as the nonpartisan analyst for the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. In that role, I learned how to creatively craft legislation and became passionate about public lands management.

For me, Protect Ancient Forests is about building inclusive coalitions and inspiring folks from all around the country to band together in order to lift their collective voices.

My goal is to educate the public about how critical our remaining mature and old-growth forests are, thereby promoting reasonable and achievable solutions that will forever protect our irreplaceable public lands.

A grassroots movement.

We began as a small group of concerned Mainers advocating for the protection of irreplaceable ancient ecosystems. We now have energized supporters across the nation and around the globe.

We are dedicated to promoting the arts and sciences in order to raise awareness about the critical importance of the planet’s remaining mature and old-growth forests. Additionally, we seek to provide opportunities for youth and future generations to experience the wonder of the natural world.

Our collective mission is permanent protection of our public lands, whose care is entrusted to each and every one of us.

The fate of the mature and old-growth forests of the Yaak Valley — and every remaining ancient forest — affects us all.

Protect Ancient Forests is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity.

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We are making progress towards our goals.

Two Congressional letters have been sent regarding mature and old-growth forests, spearheaded by Maine’s Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, which can be read by clicking here:

November 10, 2021 letter to Secretary Vilsack and

February 17, 2022 letter to Secretary Vilsack and Secretary Haaland.

 

Recognizing this movement, President Biden issued a groundbreaking Executive Order

On Earth Day 2022, President Biden signed an Executive Order to Strengthen the Nation’s Forests, laying the groundwork for necessary changes to the management of our federal forests. You can read the full order here.

We are celebrating the federal government’s recognition of the “irreplaceable role” of our mature and old-growth forests.

But this order is just one small step in the right direction…

 
 

  • The order requires the federal government to complete an inventory of mature and old growth forests located on federal lands.

    UPDATE: The 2023 report can be read here.

  • Although it is encouraging that the government is mapping where mature and old-growth forests are located, the order does not actively protect any federal forests.

  • Protecting our irreplaceable ancient forest ecosystems from logging — by no longer treating the old growth in our National Forests like crops.