The Tongass
The future of the Tongass National Forest and Southeast Alaska’s fisheries hang in limbo as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) moves forward to rescind Roadless Rule protections for the Tongass’ old-growth forests, while at the same time advancing a new management plan that boosts logging activity throughout the Tongass. Doing so will jeopardize Southeast Alaska’s status as one of the most productive and valuable seafood regions in the country. If we intend to strengthen our region’s fishing industry and ensure long-term sustainability, then we must maintain the intact ecosystems that our wild fish populations depend on, as well as the invaluable services those ecosystems provide. (for more about the Tongass’s ecological services, check out the SeaBank Initiative)
The Tongass National Forest is not just any forest; it’s a “fish forest,” meaning the rivers and streams of the Tongass are the birthplace of close to 50 million salmon every year, or 30% of Alaska’s wild salmon harvest. Many of those salmon are coho and pink salmon, which depend on the Tongass’s diverse portfolio of fish habitat.
The Tongass’s salmon are central to Southeast Alaska’s way of life, culture, and economy:
Southeast’s commercial fisheries support more full-time fishery workers than any other region in the Gulf of Alaska.
Southeast is home to one-third of Alaska’s fishing fleet, with residents owning 2,655 fishing vessels.
Commercial fishing and seafood processing comprise one of the two top private sector employers in the Tongass.
Commercial fishing supports by far the largest number of private business owners. In recent years the commercial fishing sector was responsible for 15% of regional employment and contributed more than $800 million to Southeast Alaska’s economy.
Meanwhile, the timber industry accounts for less than one percent of regional jobs and costs U.S. taxpayers $20.5 – $33.8 million annually (learn more about how much logging in the Tongass is costing taxpayers). And yet despite these facts and strong local opposition, the USDA plans to unleash logging throughout the Tongass and directly harm the ecosystems that sustain our region’s biggest industries.
We encourage anyone who depends on or values Southeast Alaska’s fisheries to learn more and get involved (see below for ways to take action) - your voice can make a real difference in the future of the Tongass.
ROADLESS RULE
In 2025, the USDA announced that it would repeal Roadless Rule protections for the Tongass. First adopted by the USDA in 2001, the Roadless Rule prohibits the construction of new roads and most timber harvesting in inventoried “roadless” areas. In Southeast Alaska, the Roadless Rule protects more than 9 million acres of the Tongass National Forest from clearcutting and timber road construction.
ALFA will be submitting comments during the next public comment period urging the USDA to keep Roadless Rule protections in place. Stay tuned for how you can get involved.
FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN REVISION
The USDA is revising its Tongass Land Management Plan, and in the preliminary draft content released earlier this spring, the Forest Service proposed to increase timber harvest in the Tongass by 56%. (The U.S. Forest Service has a management plan for every national forest; it last revised the Tongass Forest Plan in 1997, with two amendments in 2008 and 2016.) The Forest Service is moving at break-neck speed to wrap up its Tongass plan revision process in 2027. Although Alaska’s fishermen are the leading economic sector that depends on Tongass resources, the agency has largely cut them out of the plan revision process so far, with little mention or consideration of Southeast Alaska’s fisheries in the management plan’s preliminary draft content.
In response, the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association along with The Boat Company have put forward a “fish first” alternative for the Tongass plan revision. The core principles of the alternative include:
Protect productive fresh and saltwater habitat, with a focus on salmon. Managing for salmon meets multiple social and economic sustainability goals by maintaining diverse ecosystems and the services they provide.
Incorporate the Northwest Forest Plan’s Aquatic Conservation Strategy, tailored for the Tongass. The strategy relies on an ecosystem approach that (1) protects watersheds that currently have healthy habitat and (2) halts further decline in watersheds that have some level of habitat degradation. The primary objective is to maintain and/or restore watershed distribution, diversity and complexity.
Reduce the acreage designated as suitable timberlands. Lands designated as suitable timberlands should be available only to mills fully utilizing timber for products processed locally.
Require in-region processing of Tongass timber. The Tongass is the only U.S. National Forest allowed to export round logs. Local processing and local use create jobs and are the right scale for the industry.
In a nutshell: Southeast Alaska’s fishermen want the Forest Service to adopt a management plan for the Tongass that puts fish first and prioritizes protection of fish habitat from activities well-proven to cause harm (i.e., logging).