What federal officials call as a way to “conserve and steward old-growth forest” on national forests has been called a “shameful exercise of unlawful authority” by the Warren County School District.

The issue ties to a Biden administration executive order – 14072.

“My Administration will manage forests on Federal lands, which include many mature and old-growth forests, to promote their continued health and resilience; retain and enhance carbon storage; conserve biodiversity; mitigate the risk of wildfires; enhance climate resilience; enable subsistence and cultural uses; provide outdoor recreational opportunities; and promote sustainable local economic development,” the executive order states.

In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the parent agency of the Forest Service, announced a proposal in December to amend all land management plans “to conserve and steward old-growth forest conditions on national forests and grasslands nationwide.”

“Old-growth forests are a vital part of our ecosystems and a special cultural resource. This proposed nationwide forest plan amendment – the first in the agency’s history – is an important step in conserving these national treasures,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “Climate change is presenting new threats like historic droughts and catastrophic wildfires. This clear direction will help our old-growth forests thrive across our shared landscape.”

The school board earlier this month approved a letter in opposition that’s signed by Superintendent Amy Stewart.

“Nearly one third of our 788 square miles are forested state and federal lands and thus cannot be taxed to support the needs of our students. We rely on a productive and sustainably managed forest to help support our financial needs. Our community relies upon tourism and outdoor recreational activities as a source of income for our residents,” that letter states.

“The Old Growth Proposal,” the district claims, “is in direct conflict with the prescription required to return the Allegheny National Forest to good health and maintain our progress toward that end.”

The Department of Agriculture argues that the “consistent management direction contained in the proposed nationwide forest plan amendment would direct place-based strategies for old-growth forest conservation and management, developed in partnership with Tribal communities and in collaboration with local stakeholders.

“These strategies will be adaptive and factor in the unique opportunities and challenges of a particular area, which will allow for more flexibility in responding to rapid changes in wildfire behavior, drought, insects and disease. The amendment would prohibit vegetation management within old-growth forest conditions when the primary purpose is to grow, tend, harvest, or regenerate trees for economic reasons.”

“The Old Growth Proposal would be an unmitigated disaster for the health of the ANF,” the WCSD claims. “Fostering Old Growth on the ANF is exactly the opposite of what the ANF requires, and the substitution of a one-size-fits-all national policy fostering old growth is entirely ill fitting for the specific needs of the ANF. The Old Growth Proposal results in an outcome that is entirely contrary to the well-considered prescription for the health of the ANF.”