The Tongass

In southeast Alaska, encompassing Glacier Bay, lies a UN World Heritage Site 8 times the size of Yellowstone National Park, called Tongass National Forest. This land mass is almost 17 million acres in size, and is one of the most highly productive areas in the world.

There are over 1000 islands and over 100 rivers flowing through the region which spill into the inland sea that are the last pristine spawning grounds for five species of salmon which are the primary food of resident orcas, bears, and eagles. This area spans over 90% of the wild salmon in Alaska.

Every summer thousands of humpback whales migrate to the waters around southeast Alaska to feed upon the herring, krill and salmon populations produced within the Tongass.


The Tongass National Forest was included in the Roadless Initiative passed on 5 January 2001, during the last days of the Bill Clinton Administration, and the initiative prevented the construction of new roads in currently roadless areas of United States national forests.

In 2003 the George W. Bush Administration has declined to defend the policy in the courts and the U.S. Forest Service has largely exempted the Tongass from roadless protections, by initiating the "Healthy Forest Initiative" which intended to open over 9 million acres of the Tongass for logging. This was attempted under the guise of a response to widespread forest fires. Much of the basis for the law revolves around the overcrowding of forests due to the suppression of low intensity fires, which vary in their natural role of thinning small trees and clearing vegetative debris. Opponents of the nicknamed "No Tree Left Behind" Act point out that logging companies will be allowed to unnecessarily cut large diameter trees under a false pretense, while neglecting the greater issue of ladder fuels (such as brush and small trees) and possibly leaving debris that would add to extremely volatile ground fuels.

In September 2006, a landmark court decision overturned Bush's repeal of the Roadless Rule, reverting to the 2001 roadless area protections established under president Clinton. However, the Tongass remained exempt from that ruling, and it is currently unclear what the fate of its vast roadless areas will be.

The construction of more roads, combined with excessive clear cutting would be detrimental to land and the ecosystem that exists within and around the Tongass. The runoff will choke the waterways with sediment and nitrate, which will in turn wreak havoc upon the herring, krill and salmon that spawn there. This will have an effect on the already endangered humpbacks, orcas, seals, bears and eagles that are dependant upon this land to survive.

This land must be preserved as it is. The Roadless Rule must remain as it is, clear cutting must be kept to a minimum. Too much damage to this land will have drastic results to the wildlife that depends on it. We must do our part to continue its existence as a World Heritage Site, and continue to be aware of the actions our governments wish to take the could jeopardize the future of humanity.

The current situation in the Tongass appears to be stable. More updates on this matter to follow.