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Biden Stops Logging, Road Construction In Alaska's Tongass Nat'l Forest
- By The Financial District
- Jul 16, 2021
- 2 min read
The Biden administration announced sweeping protections for Alaska’s Tongass National Forest on Thursday, including an end to large-scale old-growth logging and a proposal to bar road development on more than 9 million acres, Juliet Eilperin reported for the Washington Post.
The changes mark a major shift for a region that has relied on felling massive trees for more than a century, reversing one of former president Donald Trump’s biggest public land decisions and halting a significant source of future carbon emissions.
The Tongass, part of one of the world’s last relatively intact temperate rainforests, is the only national forest where old-growth logging still takes place on an industrial scale.
The 16.7 million-acre forest — which once boasted major pulp mills but is now targeted for its fine-grain, centuries-old trees that are coveted for pricey musical instruments, expansive outdoor decks, and elegant shingles — has been a political flashpoint for two decades.
While Democrats have sought to scale back logging in the forest over time, the administration’s moves go further than any previous president’s efforts.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the proposal would provide $25 million for community development, and allow Alaska Natives and small-scale operators to continue to harvest some old-growth trees.
But Vilsack — who proposed a much more gradual transition away from old-growth logging when he was secretary under President Barack Obama — said it’s time to focus on other economic activities, including fishing, recreation, and tourism.
“This approach will help us chart the path to long-term economic opportunities that are sustainable and reflect southeast Alaska’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent natural resources,” he said.
Although timber operations felled large swaths of its largest trees between the 1960s and the 1980s, about 5 million acres of prime old-growth habitat remain, according to the Forest Service.
