THESE MAGNIFICENT TREES DESERVE & NEED A VISIT

TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST

Where can you visit the most magnificent trees in the world? One of the best places to find incredible old-growth trees is the Tongass Rainforest in southeastern Alaska. It is the largest  intact temperate forest in the world, spanning more than 17 million acres -- bigger than the entire country of Sri Lanka and the entire state of West Virginia, for perspective.

This gorgeous swath of pristine land is important, not just for its physical beauty, but also because of its role in the health and wellbeing of the planet in all its inhabitants, including us!

The forest is home to one of the last populations of old-growth coniferous trees. Many of these giants have been growing for over a thousand years. This is also home for wolves, bears, mink, voles, salmon, and the largest concentration of nesting bald eagles in the world.

This spectacular region supports abundant wildlife, including such priority bird species as the Marbled Murrelet.

Tongass, which is managed by the United States Forest Service, encompasses islands of the Alexander Archipelago, fjords and glaciers, and peaks of the Coast Mountains. An international border with Canada (British Columbia) runs along the crest of the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains.

But despite the unparalleled beauty and importance of this wilderness, there have been recent efforts to now remove the protections that have been in place since President Theodore Roosevelt enacted them and to now open this area up to old-growth logging.

One lumber company based in Alaska wants to cut down these majestic trees to trim and moldings for homes, and soundboards for pianos. About 1/3 of the lumber would be is exported to China.

The Audubon Society, along with other environmental protection and conservation organizations are working hard to protect this ecosystem.

Audubon’s goal is to conserve intact, ecologically significant watersheds in the Tongass and support the transition of forest management from the harvest of old-growth trees to more diversified uses.

Audubon Alaska’s collaborative approach includes all key stakeholders: conservation groups, the timber industry, commercial fishing groups, tourism officials, Alaska’s Native people, southeastern Alaska communities, the U.S. Forest Service, and Alaska Fish and Game.

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the state program has used input from dozens of scientists to take a watershed-based approach to conservation.

Audubon has analyzed, mapped, and described Tongass coastal forests to identify areas of greatest ecological value. This will help mitigate threats from legislation, including the recently passed omnibus defense bill, that will make a substantial portion of the last remaining large-tree old-growth forest vulnerable to timber cutting.

Audubon’s approach protects biodiversity while supporting sustainable economic development.

Logging old-growth trees in our biggest national forest not only hurts wildlife, destroy irreplaceable natural beauty, add pressure to climate change and pollution impacts, but it also hurts our wallets.

The U.S. Forest Service admits that the timber project, known as Big Thorne, which allowed for 6,000 acres of old-growth forest to be logged, will cost the government, and U.S. taxpayers, about $13 million. However nonpartisan research group Headwaters Economics calculates that the true cost of Big Thorne will be somewhere between $50 million and $100 million.

Tom Waldo, an attorney at the nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice, points out, “It would be cheaper if the taxpayers just cut a check to every logger and millworker in the Tongass and left the trees standing.”

Your visit to Tongass, along with other tourists seeking to experience the beauty of these trees and this ecosystem is the real drivers of the economy. Yet the Forest Service devotes 37% of its Tongass budget to the logging industry, compared with only 28 percent for recreation, wildlife, fisheries, and watershed protection combined. And, obviously, no one will want to visit lands that have been clear-cut.

Last month Congress passed a spending bill that rejected numerous anti-environmental policy riders, including language that would have put the old-growth rainforest of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska at risk of more clearcut logging, rollbacks to the Endangered Species Act and removal of ESA protections for key species. But pressure is still on. And the fight to protect these trees and lands must go on.

Hike or take a sled-dog ride on a glacier, stroll along boardwalk trails, fish in streams or the ocean, or relax at a remote cabin. Check out the Creek Bear Viewing Area in Hyder, or Pack Creek Brown Bear Viewing Area on Admiralty Island, or immerse yourself in native culture at the stunning Southeast Alaska Discovery Center.

Audubon and others are continuing to work toward crafting a permanent conservation solution for the Tongass. You can also offer support via Cascadia Wildlands.

Downloadable resources:

• Tongass Public Policy Fact Sheet
• Conservation Assessment Executive Summary
• Tongass Conservation Area Design Map

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by David Beebe. Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska. Courtesy of Cascadia Wildlands.
2. Image: by Alan Wu. “Aerial view of Tongass National Forest.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska.
3. Image: by Gillfoto. Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska
4. Image: by Dave Shaw. “Red-breasted Sapsucker.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska. Courtesy of National Audubon Society.
5. Image: by Gillfoto. “Tongass Rainforest.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska.
6. Image: by Jeff's Canon. “Tongass National Forest.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska.
7. Image: by Alan Wu. “Aerial view of Tongass National Forest.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska.
8. Image: “Thorne Bay. Tongass National Forest.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska. Courtesy of USDA Forest Service Alaska.Region.
9. Image: by Alan Wu. “Aerial view of Tongass National Forest.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska.
10. Image: by Don MacDougall USFS . “Kootznoowoo Brown Bear 7.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska. Courtesy of USDA Forest Service Alaska Region.
11. Image: by Joseph. “Sunny.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska.
12. Image: by Pete Schneider. “Best of Plants.” Chicken of the Woods' fungi. Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska. Courtesy of USDA Forest Service Alaska Region.
13. Image: by Mark Meyer. Ancient trees, glaciers, valleys, and peat bogs in the Tongass National Park. Courtesy of National Audubon Society. Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska.
14. Image: by John Schoen. “Old-growth trees in the Tongass National Forest.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska. Courtesy of National Audubon Society.
15. Image: by Eric Esterle. “Tebenkof Bay Wilderness.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska. Courtesy of Forest Service USDA.
16. Image: by Mark Brennan. “Tongass National Forest.” Tongass National Forest. Juneau, Alaska.