SalmonState praises Biden Administration for prioritizing sustainable uses of the Tongass National Forest by reinstating Roadless protections

JUNEAU, AK — Tonight, SalmonState commends the Biden Administration for its decision to reinstate protections for road-free areas of the America’s largest and wildest national forest. The Roadless Area Conservation rule, in place for two decades, was rolled back by the Trump Administration. That move proved wildly unpopular within the region and across the nation.

“Tonight’s decision is a giant step towards bringing balance and common sense back to Tongass management,” said SalmonState Communications Director Mary Catharine Martin.  “Reinstating roadless protections to the Tongass and initiating the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)’s Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy back in July illustrates that the Forest Service is once again focused on the future, not the past.”

“Southeast Alaskans have been speaking loudly and clearly on this topic and it’s incredibly heartening to see the Biden Administration not only listening to us, but working to ensure the Tongass stays the rich, productive, place it is,” said Martin. “1.8 million people came to visit the Tongass in 2019, and none of them came to see fields of stumps.”

In addition to being a world class destination for visitors, 25% of the West Coast’s commercially-caught salmon comes from the Tongass. Its towering spruce, hemlock and cedar trees, some of them 1,000 years old, store 44% of the carbon in all America’s national forests.

“The Biden Administration’s wise decision gets the Tongass and Southeast Alaska back on the right track and shows their commitment to protecting our jobs, the region’s rich and unique culture, its wildly productive forests and waters and our cherished way of life,” Martin said.