Revisions to the Tongass National Forest Management Plan

The Forest Service has begun revising the overarching management plan for the Tongass National Forest — and that could mean expanded logging. If logging ramps up, these old forests could take lifetimes to recover. The Tongass is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world and a defining landscape of Southeast Alaska. It supports:

• salmon streams that sustain fisheries and communities
• wildlife that depend on old-growth forests
• a growing recreation and tourism economy

Over time, management of the forest has shifted — from large-scale old-growth logging toward greater conservation and balanced use. This revision will determine how that balance is defined moving forward. In February 2026, the Forest Service initiated a formal revision process through a Notice of Intent, opening the first phase of public input. This phase — known as “scoping” — helps determine what options and alternatives the agency will study. Early planning materials indicate that the Forest Service may consider:

• expanding areas suitable for timber harvest
• simplifying land-use designations
• adjusting protections for watersheds and wildlife in some scenarios
• responding to increased recreation and tourism use

These are not final decisions. But they signal the range of directions that could be evaluated in the next stage of planning. This is the first opportunity for the public to help shape the future of the Tongass Forest Plan. Comments submitted now influence:

• what alternatives are developed
• what impacts are analyzed
• what priorities are considered in the next phase

Future opportunities will follow, but this stage helps define the foundation for everything that comes next.