April 27th, 2026

TONGASS FOREST PLAN REVISION: Preliminary draft plan CONTENT

PUBLIC COMMENTS DUE MAY 6

On March 23rd, the US Forest Service released its Preliminary Draft Plan Content and is inviting public comment until May 6th. The Forest Service has requested feedback to help it refine its proposed action, help develop alternatives, and determine which substantive issues will be analyzed in detail in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

This comment period is an important opportunity for Southeast Alaska’s fishermen and industry members to share with the Forest Service that our region's fisheries and communities depend on “forest fish" and we need a Fish First Forest Management Plan that includes protecting the region’s intact, healthy fish habitat already in place and prioritizing restoration of fish habitat degraded by logging and road development.

Use this sample letter to help write your own comment letter to the Forest Service. Submit your comments to the Forest Service HERE - you can either paste your letter into the form or attach it as a file. Deadline to submit comments is May 6th.

Mark your calendars for the Forest Service’s upcoming community meetings where the public can provide feedback on its revised Forest Management Plan.

More information about the Tongass and the impacts of logging:

Forest Fish for Fishing Communities fact sheet

Logging Harms to Fish fact sheet

Tongass Logging and Climate Change fact sheet

Check out the SeaBank Initiative’s Annual Reports for additional data and information regarding the ecological services and values of the Tongass National Forest and Southeast Alaska’s ecosystems.

March 3rd, 2026

Tongass Forest Plan Revision: public comments due March 20th

On February 18th, the US Forest Service released its notice of initiation for the development of a revised land management plan (revised plan) and intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the effects of revising the current plan. During the comment period, the public is invited to help inform the Forest Service’s development of a draft revised plan, including development of alternatives to the proposed action.

This comment period is an important opportunity for Southeast Alaska’s fishermen and industry members to share why protecting the Tongass’ fish habitat is so critical to the future sustainability and profitability of our fisheries - our fisheries and communities depend on “forest fish.” We need to send the Forest Service a strong message that we need a Fish First Forest Management Plan that includes protecting the region’s intact, healthy fish habitat already in place and prioritizing restoration of degraded fish habitat.

Use this template letter to help you write your own comment letter - feel free to add and personalize however you would like!

Submit your comments to the US Forest Service HERE - you can either paste your letter into the form or attach them as a file. Deadline to submit comments is Thursday March 20th.