Before you go …
If you like what you are reading and believe in independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan journalism like ours—journalism the way it should be—please contribute to keep us going. Reporting like this isn’t free to produce and we cannot do this alone. Thank you!
Scientists say old-growth forests are essential tools in the fight against climate change. Harvesting them releases greenhouse gasses, worsening the impact of climate change.

This four-part series focuses on the Southside Project, a recent initiative by the U.S. Forest Service, to make the national forest more resilient and sustainable. In part two, Jack Igelman reports on the importance of old-growth forests, the new philosophy of forest management and opposition.
The series was made possible through the support of readers like you. You can support nonpartisan in-depth and investigative journalism in North Carolina from our nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member today.
follow the series
The uncertain future of old-growth forests in North Carolina, part one
The recent decision to harvest 26 acres that encompass an old-growth patch of forest on a 3,500-foot mountaintop – the Southside Project – underscores what some say is the widening incongruity between the U.S. Forest Service’s mission, climate change crisis and the public’s will.
The uncertain future of old-growth forests in North Carolina, part two
Scientists say old-growth forests are essential tools in the fight against climate change. Harvesting them releases greenhouse gasses, worsening the impact of climate change.
The uncertain future of old-growth forests in North Carolina, part three, the green salamanders
The recent decision to harvest 26 acres that encompass an old-growth patch of forest on a 3,500-foot mountaintop – the Southside Project – underscores what some say is the widening incongruity between the U.S. Forest Service’s mission, climate change crisis and the public’s will.
The uncertain future of old-growth forests in North Carolina, part four, finding a path forward
In part four, the last in the series, CPP reports on the objections and responses to the recent decision to harvest 26 acres that encompass an old growth patch of forest on a 3,500-foot mountaintop — the Southside Project.