Forest Restoration in the Tongass

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Nearly a half-million acres of the Tongass National Forest were logged in the past 50 years and have resulted in degraded watershed integrity, decreased fish and wildlife productivity, and a lasting legacy of ecological debt for future generations.  But, a new study suggests that restoring these forests can pay multiple dividends for fish, wildlife, and the Alaskan communities that depend on healthy forests.

AttachmentSize
Tongass-forest-restoration-low-rez.pdf8.32 MB
Fact Sheet for Tongass Forest Restoration.pdf929.37 KB

At a Glance

Some key take-aways from this article include:

  • The Forest Service is still spending millions of taxpayer dollars annually to plan more old growth clear-cuts.  Reallocating portions of that funding to forest restoration would reduce future environmental damage while repairing many of the existing problems.  Additionally, forest restoration on the Tongass can provide wood for utilization, high-paying jobs in the forest, and help “grease the wheels” of a transition to a more diversified and long-term approach to forest management that benefits all stakeholders.