Current campaigns related to the Trees as a Public Good network.
“Forests are vital organs of our living planet, and essential components of Earth’s operating system. Trees are a major climate solution growing in plain sight.”
— Dr. William Moomaw (Tufts U & Woodwell Climate Research Ctr), gave acceptance speech as a lead author for 2007 Nobel Prize for the UN Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change
Actions to Take Now
- Stop Subsidizing Bio-Mass: Burning biomass—mostly from clearcut forests—is more polluting than coal, doesn’t reduce forest fires, and is dependent on subsidies.
- Environmental Justice in Boston: Support an EJ community’s efforts to prevent clear-cutting trees in Dorchester (Morton St tree canopy) for a private school’s artificial turf field.
- Zone Responsibly for Solar: Industrial solar projects cut over 6,000 acres of forest and will cut 140,000 more. Require responsible siting!
- Stop Sand Mining in SE Mass: Unregulated mining cuts globally rare forests, ruins land use for decades, and damages drinking water aquifers.
How We Started
The network started as the outgrowth of a 2022 forum with the same name: Trees as a Public Good. The 2022 forum recording is posted on the ORMA YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWUNFXxSK_w “A Livable Commonwealth: Trees as a Public Good”