The Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in America and one of the biggest temperate rainforests in the world, was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907. Significant areas within the Tongass are currently protected by the U.S. Forest Service’s 'Roadless Rule,' which prohibits most commercial logging and road construction in pristine, backcountry areas.

Unfortunately, a recent move by the U.S. Forest Service is threatening these protections and could lead to over 9 million acres of forest being opened up to industrial logging and development.

Those in favor of stripping Tongass protections are driven by the potential for short-term economic gain that could result from increased clear-cut logging in the area. However, this would destroy much of the few remaining old-growth forests left in the entire U.S. Once these old-growth ecosystems are gone, they’re gone forever.

The ramifications associated with clear cutting the Tongass would also go beyond the forest and devastate other local Alaskan industries that supply jobs and livelihoods to thousands of residents – the fishing and tourism industries. Because salmon spawn in the many rivers and streams of the Tongass, the forest and the fishery are inseparable. Clear cut logging and roadbuilding fill these streams with sediment once the trees are logged and choke salmon spawning grounds. And millions of American tourists come to Alaska each year to see the wildlife, pristine waters, and vibrant forests of the Tongass that surround Juneau and other Southeast Alaskan towns. These two industries, which make up one quarter of the entire local economy, are directly threatened by clear cut logging in the Tongass.

Please sign this petition and pledge your support to keeping the Tongass protected and maintaining the Roadless Rule as is.

We urge the Trump Administration to save the Tongass and the critical habitats it supports.  

As President Ronald Reagan said in his 1984 State of the Union Address, "Preservation of our environment is not a liberal or conservative challenge; it's common sense."

Sincerely,

Citizens for the Republic