Biden Reinstates Protections for Alaska’s Tongass National Forest
Examining the policy reversal that safeguards the ecological and cultural heart of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest after years of political back-and-forth.
The Tongass National Forest: America’s Largest Rainforest
The Tongass National Forest stretches across nearly 17 million acres, encompassing one of the world’s last remaining temperate rainforests and providing a lifeline for the people, wildlife, and economy of Southeast Alaska. As America’s largest national forest, the Tongass is celebrated for its ancient, towering trees, diverse wildlife, clean rivers, and role as a massive carbon sink. But it has also become a flashpoint for ongoing debate about logging, federal land management, and climate change policy.
Political Pendulum: A History of Protections and Rollbacks
For decades, protections for the Tongass have been hostages to changing political tides in Washington:
- In 2001, the Roadless Rule was enacted under President Clinton, barring most new road construction and commercial logging in more than 58 million acres of national forest lands, including significant portions of the Tongass.
- The rule was partially rescinded by the Bush administration and restored in stretches by President Obama.
- President Trump’s administration, arguing for economic development and resource exploitation, moved aggressively to eliminate these protections, opening millions of acres for logging and road-building.
- President Biden reversed Trump’s rollbacks in a sweeping executive order, restoring the Roadless Rule and renewing Alaska’s protections.
This relentless back-and-forth has made the Tongass a persistent focal point for political, environmental, and economic debate, exacerbating tensions between federal, state, and local priorities.
Trump’s Push for Resource Development
The Trump administration argued that lifting the Roadless Rule was essential for “energy dominance,” increased logging, mineral extraction, and local jobs. According to a 2025 executive order, the new policy aimed to:
- Maximize the development and production of natural resources on federal and state lands in Alaska
- Expedite permitting and leasing for resource projects, including timber extraction and mining
- Prioritize Alaska’s liquified natural gas (LNG) potential for export and domestic use
- Remove “regulations, orders, and guidance” that were inconsistent with aggressive resource development
Proponents claimed these changes would benefit Alaskan communities and the national economy, arguing that previous environmental restrictions had crippled rural and Indigenous economies dependent on timber and extractive industries.
Biden’s Restoration of Protections
In a sharp policy turn, President Biden issued an executive order restoring the Roadless Rule nationwide and reaffirming the commitment to preserve the Tongass:
- An immediate halt to new road construction and commercial logging in over 9 million undeveloped acres within the forest
- Protection for critical ecosystems and old-growth forests essential for climate resilience
- Support for the traditional and economic interests of local and Indigenous communities
- A signal of renewed U.S. leadership in global environmental stewardship and climate change mitigation
Ecological Stakes: Climate, Wildlife, and Old-Growth Forests
The ecological value of the Tongass cannot be overstated. It contains:
- Some of the world’s last intact old-growth temperate rainforests, home to ancient Sitka spruce and western hemlock
- Habitats for more than 400 species—including brown bears, bald eagles, Alexander Archipelago wolves, and five species of Pacific salmon
- A massive carbon sink capable of storing hundreds of millions of tons of carbon—making it a frontline defense against climate change
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Clearcutting and road-building disrupt these critical functions, fragmenting habitats, causing erosion and sedimentation in rivers, and releasing stored carbon. Environmental groups stress that preserving the Tongass is vital not only for regional biodiversity and Indigenous ways of life but for global climate stability.
Economic Realities: Timber, Tourism, and Fishing
| Sector | Economic Contribution | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Fishing | $1 billion+ annually | Sustained by healthy watersheds and salmon habitat |
| Tourism | $1 billion+ annually | Attracted by pristine wilderness, wildlife, and cultural experiences |
| Timber Industry | Declining; a fraction of historical levels | Limited job creation; often benefits interests outside Alaska |
Critics of opening the forest argue that timber and resource extraction offer minimal long-term benefits compared to the robust, sustainable economic engines of fishing and ecotourism, both of which depend on a healthy, intact forest. Communities dependent on subsistence hunting, fishing, and small business tourism have consistently opposed large-scale industrial logging, arguing it threatens the foundational resources of their livelihoods.
Indigenous and Local Voices: Stewardship and Resistance
Alaska’s Indigenous communities have lived in and cared for the Tongass for millennia, sustaining rich cultural traditions, subsistence practices, and spiritual identities tied to the forest’s health. Tribal leaders and local residents have been among the most vocal opponents of opening the Tongass to further exploitation, citing not only economic and environmental risks, but also deep threats to cultural survival.
“A few logging jobs for a few years is somehow meant to justify scars we will never see heal in our lifetimes,” said Malachi Thorrington, an Alaskan fishing guide and commercial fisherman. “Industrial logging jobs in the Tongass are temporary, a flash in the pan for a few, usually not even resident Alaskans.”
Recent years have seen coordinated resistance:
- Massive public rallies in Juneau and elsewhere organized by tribal leaders, environmental groups, and commercial fishing interests
- Ongoing advocacy for protecting traditional food sources and ecosystem services
- Arguments that the will of local people, not distant political agendas, should decide the forest’s future
The National and Global Context: Climate, Conservation, and Precedent
The stakes of the Tongass debate go beyond Alaska. Environmentalists and scientists highlight:
- The role of old-growth forests in sequestering carbon—critical for global climate goals
- Precedent for how the U.S. manages its other public lands and the signals sent to other countries with similar ecosystems
- Biodiversity conservation at landscape scale, protecting not just species but entire working ecosystems
The Biden policy shift was cheered by climate advocates and seen as a restoration of scientific integrity and public oversight in land management. The move reaffirmed both domestic commitments and international climate leadership, as the destruction of the world’s great forests remains a central concern in global carbon accounting and biodiversity strategies.
Critiques, Concerns, and Ongoing Controversy
Nevertheless, the restoration of protections is not universally popular. Some state officials in Alaska and advocates for greater resource autonomy argue:
- Federal overreach continues to restrict rural development and economic opportunity
- Local preferences and expertise are often overridden by distant authorities
- Shortages of affordable energy and infrastructure investment in Southeast Alaska persist even as outside interests profit from tourism and conservation dollars
Environmentalists counter that prior resource development often led to population loss and job declines as the timber boom faded. Research indicates that jobs created by intact wilderness—guiding, fishing, visitor services—are far more sustainable than extractive industry work.
What the Future Holds: Can the Pendulum Stop Swinging?
The Tongass National Forest’s future will be shaped by a confluence of legal, political, and cultural factors. As of 2025, the Biden administration’s restoration of the Roadless Rule stands, but legal and political challenges are ongoing. The battle for the forest underscores broader struggles over federal land stewardship and national climate priorities.
Only time will tell if a durable, science- and community-based compromise emerges, or if the forest’s fate will continue to swing with the political tides in Washington. What remains clear is that the Tongass is irreplaceable: for Alaska, for the United States, and for a world grappling with biodiversity loss and climate change.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is the Roadless Rule and how does it impact the Tongass?
A: The Roadless Rule is a federal regulation adopted in 2001 that limits road-building and most commercial logging in designated areas of national forests. For the Tongass, it protects about 9 million acres of old-growth stands crucial to biodiversity, carbon storage, and the region’s fisheries and tourism industries.
Q: Why do some Alaskans and politicians oppose restoring the Roadless Rule?
A: Critics argue the rule restricts economic development, resource extraction, and local autonomy. They believe Alaska’s unique needs are often overlooked by federal policymakers.
Q: How important is the Tongass National Forest for fighting climate change?
A: Extremely important. The Tongass sequesters vast quantities of carbon in its old-growth trees and soils, making it a vital carbon sink that helps offset greenhouse gas emissions at a global scale.
Q: Who benefits most from keeping the Tongass protected?
A: Local and Indigenous communities reliant on subsistence resources, commercial fishers, the regional tourism sector, and advocates for climate and biodiversity all benefit from keeping the forest intact.
Q: What are the long-term risks if protections are again lifted?
A: Major risks include loss of ancient forests, diminished wildlife habitat, harm to fisheries through watershed damage, increased carbon emissions, and cultural and community loss for Southeast Alaskan peoples.
As climate crises and economic transitions accelerate, the Tongass stands as a symbol—for the challenges, controversies, and promise of America’s public lands and the communities that depend on them.
References
- https://thealaskacurrent.com/2025/09/23/alaskans-rally-as-tongass-protections-face-another-rollback/
- https://rewilding.org/trumps-assault-on-alaskan-wildlands/
- https://earthjustice.org/press/2025/tongass-defenders-blast-the-trump-administrations-rollback-of-roadless-rule-protections-on-americas-largest-forest
- https://e360.yale.edu/features/tongass-road-rules
- https://montanafreepress.org/2025/06/24/trump-to-rescind-roadless-rule-ending-protections-for-58-million-acres-nationwide/
- https://www.audubon.org/magazine/federal-government-plans-unleash-industry-these-five-alaskan-bird-havens
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