On July 15, 2021, the Biden administration’s Department of Agriculture introduced a new strategy to protect the Tongass National Forest, reversing a set of Trump administration policies. The Tongass, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, is one of the world’s largest temperate rain forests, spanning more than 16 million acres in Southeast Alaska. Its preservation has been the subject of significant controversy for decades, prompting countless court cases and changes in policy from different administrations.

The forest has a long history of being harvested for timber, especially between the 1950s and 1990s when contracts for large-scale commercial exploitation were in place. During this time, logging quickly accelerated to an unsustainable pace, prompting numerous lawsuits from environmental groups and others concerned for the preservation of the forest and its fish and wildlife.

The Tongass is one of the world’s largest carbon sinks. Trees tend to sequester more atmospheric carbon as they age, and the Tongass is home to some of the oldest trees in the Unites States, with many that are over 800 years old. This makes this forest an irreplaceable asset in combatting climate change. It also provides soil stability to prevent landslides, as well as habitat for countless species including large populations of bald eagles and the world’s greatest concentration of black bears.

Much of the political controversy surrounding the Tongass has centered around its inclusion in the Roadless Area Conservation rule, commonly referred to as the “roadless rule.” The roadless rule was first instituted in January 2001, in the final days of the Clinton administration. This initiative prevented the construction of new roads in currently roadless areas of U.S. national forests. This prevents the deforestation of old-growth forests currently inaccessible via existing roadways, including most of the Tongass.

The rule has survived many legal challenges and an attempted repeal during the George W. Bush administration. However, on October 29, 2020, the Forest Service under the Trump administration removed the Tongass from roadless area designation, allowing road construction and logging in over 9.3 million acres of forest. However, no new logging has commenced since this exemption was announced due to a widely held belief that the Biden administration would restore protections.

On July 15, 2021 USDA formally announced that it would initiate the rulemaking process to restore the roadless rule in the Tongass National Forest, restoring protections to the 9.3 million acres of land that the Trump administration had opened to commercial interests. It also announced additional safeguards, officially ending all large-scale old growth timber sales in the Tongass. Small-scale old growth sales will continue for community and cultural uses, such as for totem poles, canoes, and other Tribal artisan uses. The administration will also be providing $25 million in federal spending for local sustainable development in Alaska. USDA will be meeting with Tribal governments, Alaska Native corporations, and other stakeholders to determine how these funds will be used and make recommendations for other long-term investments in the region.

The new protections are not necessarily permanent; it is possible that a future administration may reverse Biden’s policies.

Posted in Renewable Resources Report