On August 20th, the U.S. Forest Service released its proposed plan to move forward with removing Roadless Rule protections for the Tongass National Forest (and all national forests). That means more than 9 million acres of the Tongass National Forest will be open to road development and industrial logging and mining. The Forest Service’s proposed removal of Roadless Rule protections ignores strong public support for the Roadless Rule; in 2025, over 95% of public comments submitted to the Forest Service were in support of keeping Roadless Rule protections in place.
TAKE ACTION NOW FOR THE TONGASS
Why does this matter for Alaska’s fishermen and seafood industry?
Southeast Alaska’s world-class fisheries depend on clean water, intact forests, and healthy watersheds.
About 30% of Alaska’s wild salmon harvest comes from the Tongass, with 266 million pounds harvested in 2024. American Seafood Competitiveness is closely tied to the health of the Tongass National Forest and keeping its forests and streams intact.
Salmon supports 1 in 10 jobs in Southeast Alaska and drives the region’s economy. The direct and indirect economic output from Southeast Alaska’s seafood harvest exceeded an estimated $1.2 billion in 2021 and 2022.
The two most prevalent commercial salmon species that rely on Southeast Alaska’s federal lands are coho and pink salmon. The Tongass produces roughly two-thirds of Southeast Alaska’s coho harvest and 95% or more of Southeast Alaska’s pink salmon harvest. Commercial and culturally important populations of sockeye salmon also utilize streams and lakes throughout the Tongass.
Timber roads and clearcutting can increase sedimentation, degrade water quality, fragment habitat, and increase high temperature events. Sedimentation alone has caused salmon productivity to decline in numerous watersheds. Increased sedimentation, stream warming and other disturbances can also function as dams by blocking access to spawning habitat.
How to comment and take action:
Only have 1 minute? Submit a letter via SalmonState’s comment letter form.
Have 5 minutes? Personalize this template letter and send it directly to the Forest Service one of several ways:
Electronically (preferred): Through the Federal eRulemaking Portal, https://www.regulations.gov, identified by docket number FS-2025-0001 or RIN 0596-AD66. Follow the instructions for sending comments; or
Mail: Hardcopy letters must be submitted to the Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination, 201 14th Street SW, Mailstop 1108, Washington, DC 20250-1124.