Old growth forest, Tongass National Forest (photo: Gillfoto, Wikimedia Commons)
On July 15, 2021, the Biden Administration officially announced sweeping protections for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, including an end to large-scale old-growth logging, important investments in restoration and fisheries, and its intent to restore the 2001 Roadless Rule, which protects more than nine million acres of forest in southeast Alaska.
These changes will at long last align management of the Tongass with the needs of the public and be critical to the long-term health of the forest and its thousands of salmon, steelhead, and trout streams.
The Tongass is home to five different species of salmon and fuels the local economy with fishing, guiding and tourism dollars, as well as being globally significant for its role in mitigating the effects of climate change. Trout Unlimited and many others have been working tirelessly to achieve this outcome and to better realign the Tongass to support mainstays of the local economy—fishing and tourism.
The support of AFFTA, it members, and many others for so many years helped make this big win possible. While there is more to come to make sure this good news sticks, this is a milestone.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SAYING THANK YOU
Sometimes we forget to acknowledge those who helped something good happen. Here are a few near and mid-term things that can help:
A quick thank-you note to our friends at the USDA and Forest Service. Even an informal email would be helpful.
TU is planning a series of OpEds praising this new strategy, and we plan to team up on one from the fly-fishing community.
The Forest Service will soon hold a public comment period on this announcement. 96% of the public comments favored protecting roadless areas last time around and we want to reach similar numbers this time around. Even though the comment period hasn’t started yet, we’re starting to collect comments here.