Oregon Wild hosts an evening to highlight the documentary ‘Crown Jewels – The Mission to Save America’s Oldest Trees’

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Oregon Wild hosted a viewing Monday evening of a film that they say makes a case for protecting mature and old-growth forests across the country.

Crown Jewels – The Mission to Save America’s Oldest Trees documents a year-long journey through some of the most ancient forests here in the U.S.

Oregon Wild’s Victoria Wingell said:

“In the documentary, the filmmakers interview different community members in Oregon, West Virginia and Wisconsin, just to talk to them about what these forests mean to them. Some of them are right in their backyards, and unfortunately, they're all being targeted for logging.”

According to Oregon Wild, mature and old-growth trees and forests protect our climate by absorbing and storing carbon, boost resilience to fire, help regulate temperatures, filter drinking water and shelter wildlife. They say logging these trees deprives communities of the benefits and beauty of our largest, oldest trees.

“Unfortunately, we only have about 10% of what we once had, in terms of old-growth forests," Wingell said. "A lot of these are still on our public lands, so they should be held in public trust for people to enjoy for future generations. and not just set aside for logging companies.”

Mary Fleischmann, leader of the Central & Eastern Oregon Bitterbrush Broadband, says making documentaries like “Crown Jewels” takes a deeper dive into the importance of mature trees and land.

“I think a lot of people don't understand some of the language that's involved and management plans that are set up, and what's missing and what's lacking," she said, "and then having an opportunity to make some public comments about how important it is to protect these areas.”

To find out more about the mission to protect America's oldest trees, check out this website.