Natural History Wanderings

Sierra Club News Release

Permanent restoration of protections for America’s biggest carbon sink is critical

Today, the Biden administration announced that it will rescind a Trump-era attack on the Tongass National Forest that would have put Alaska’s last vestiges of old-growth forest at risk of destructive logging and road-building.

Communities across Southeast Alaska and nationwide have spoken out in opposition to Trump’s attempt to exempt the Tongass from Roadless Rule protections because it threatened local economies, wildlife, and the climate. The Tongass is home to some of the last remaining stands of temperate old-growth rainforest in the world and serves as a hub for tourism, fishing, and outdoor recreation in Southeast Alaska. It is also America’s largest forest storehouse of carbon.

In response, Sierra Club Alaska Chapter Director Andrea Feniger released the following statement:

“Trump’s attack on the Tongass National Forest posed an unacceptable threat to the livelihoods of Southeast Alaskan communities and to the future of our climate. Today’s action is a much-needed step toward ensuring Alaska’s forest wildlands, and the communities, economies, and wildlife that depend on them, remain protected, and that the Tongass remains a critical tool in the fight against climate change. Now, we urge the administration to act quickly to reinstate protections for the Tongass National Forest once and for all.”