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Vibrant and dynamic, old-growth forests are very special sites for storing carbon, for purifying  water, for creating deep rich soils, for supporting  varied habitats, for appealing to our love of nature aesthetically and spiritually, and for conserving the biodiversity indigenous to its area.

Old-growth forests are rightly recognized as the key to biodiversity in areas where deciduous forests that certainly included most of the eastern United States were dominant. Why is biodiversity important?  Biodiversity makes up the structure of the ecosystems and habitats that support essential living resources, including wildlife, fisheries, and forests. It helps provide for basic human needs such as food, shelter, and medicine. It is composed of ecosystems that maintain oxygen in the air, store carbon, enrich the soil, purify the water, protect against flood and storm damage, and regulate climate.  Biodiversity also has recreational, cultural, spiritual and aesthetic values.

The few remaining old-growth stands now occur in rugged terrain. These forests are becoming increasingly rare. The 500-Year Forest Foundation is helping offset this loss by working in partnership with private forest owners to produce future old-growth forests. For the 500-Year Forest Foundation forest conservation means managing to conserve a forest’s biodiversity.   We work with private forest landowners who place conservation easements that restrict timbering on their lands.  We hire scientists to take a biotic inventory in ten year increments to measure the life and health of the forest.  We support the landowners financially with annual grants in their efforts to control invasive plants.   Together we team to create and preserve our unique contribution to man and nature.