From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):
The Tongass National Forest teems with life, from its 800-year-old trees to its salmon-rich mountain streams to its tens of thousands of black and brown bears.
But when the Trump administration erased critical protections for this forest, all of its incredible wildlife was thrust into danger.
Now, we have until Monday, Jan. 24, to right this wrong and speak up for the Tongass. This old-growth forest needs the full protection of the Roadless Rule in order to maintain its vast, untouched ecosystem.
The Forest Service is holding a public comment period to restore the Roadless Rule to the Tongass — ensuring the Tongass remains wild and unscathed. Tell the Forest Service to protect this treasured place at https://pennenvironment.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48323.
The logging industry is working hard to fell the old-growth trees of the Tongass.
But the worth of a tree isn’t just in the lumber it could provide — it’s in the world of plants and animals that depend on it. Ancient trees provide shade for berry bushes and undergrowth, nests for the Tongass’ bald eagles, even a back scratch for the Tongass’ black and brown bears.1,2
And these trees aren’t just important for wildlife — they’re an important climate solution and carbon sink. Thanks to its old-growth forest, the Tongass holds 9.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide, almost twice the amount of U.S. emissions from burning fossil fuels each year.3
From providing a crucial carbon sink to being the backbone of a delicate, complex ecosystem, the Tongass needs its old-growth trees — and so do we.
If we succeed in protecting the Tongass, we can make today’s seedlings the old-growth trees of tomorrow and ensure a strong, safe forest for centuries to come.
Once the ancient trees of the Tongass are felled, centuries of growth and habitat will be lost forever.
We’re determined to protect the Tongass and prevent that ecosystem from ever being lost. Back in 2001, our national network helped lead the charge to establish the Roadless Rule, gathering 700,000 voices to petition for the protection of our forests.
And we’ve worked hard to defend the Tongass and other precious forests ever since. But we can’t do it without your help.
Help protect the future of the Tongass by adding your name today.
1. Juliet Eilperin, “This tree has stood here for 500 years. Will it be sold for $17,500?,” The Washington Post, December 30, 2021.
2. Brendan Jones, “Trees older than America: a primeval Alaskan forest is at risk in the Trump era,” The Guardian, March 22, 2018.
3. Juliet Eilperin, “This tree has stood here for 500 years. Will it be sold for $17,500?,” The Washington Post, December 30, 2021.
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