The Biden administration announced a series of new protections for Tongass National Forest, one of the world’s largest temperate rainforests.
Will end large-scale old-growth logging, invest in community-led stewardship.
July 15, 2021 Arlington, VA
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Eric Bontrager
The Nature Conservancy
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The Biden administration announced a series of new protections for Tongass National Forest, one of the world’s largest temperate rainforests.
The new protections include ending large-scale logging of old-growth trees, investing in sustainable economic development activities in the region, greater consultation with Indigenous communities on the management of the forest and reinstating the 2001 Roadless Rule.
This new effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will also work to complement the work already occurring on the ground to address the health of the Tongass ecosystem and the local communities that depend on it. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is among the founding members several of those partnerships, including Indigenous Guardians Network, the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, the Hoonah Native Forest Partnership, the Keex’ Kwaan Community Forest Partnership. It has also been a leader partner with the U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service on Joint Chiefs’ Restoration Initiatives on the Tongass National Forest.
The following is a statement by Steve Cohn , state director of TNC’s Alaska chapter:
“The administration's move to invest in protections for the Tongass will put the region on the right path toward a sustainable future for the forest, its communities and ecosystems. We are thrilled to see the U.S. Department of Agriculture commit not only to conservation of fish and wildlife habitat but to supporting tribal stewardship and community development opportunities.”
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