Tongass National Forest
IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area)
Location	Alaska, USA
Nearest city	Ketchikan, AK
Coordinates	59°35′0″N 138°56′0″W / 59.58333, -138.93333
Area	17 million acres (69,000 km²)
Established	September 10, 1907
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service

At 17 million acres (69,000 km²), the Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska is the largest national forest in the United States. It is a temperate rain forest within the pacific temperate rain forest zone, and is remote enough to be home to many species of endangered and rare flora and fauna. Tongass encompasses islands of the Alexander Archipelago, fjords, glaciers, and peaks of the Coastal Range mountains. An international border with Canada (British Columbia) runs along the crest of the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains (see also: Alaska boundary dispute). The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Image File history File links Red_pog. ... Image File history File links US_Locator_Blank. ... Official language(s) English[1] Spoken language(s) English 85. ... Ketchikan (IPA: ) is the fifth most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska and the southeasternnmost sizable city in that state. ... is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Logo of the U.S. Forest Service. ... An acre is the name of a unit of area in a number of different systems, including Imperial units and United States customary units. ... Official language(s) English[1] Spoken language(s) English 85. ... This is a list of all the National Forests and National Grasslands in the United States. ... Temperate rain forest in the Mount Hood Wilderness, Oregon, United States. ... Temperate rain forests, such as this in Washingtons Olympic Peninsula, often grow right up to the shoreline The Pacific temperate rain forests of North America are the largest temperate rain forest zone on the planet. ... A MODIS photograph of the Alexander Archipelago The Alexander Archipelago is an archipelago, or group of islands, off the southeast coast of Alaska. ... Fjord in Sunnmøre, Norway Fjords are very long inlets from the sea with high steeply sloped walled sides. ... Glacial and Glaciation redirect here. ... A Coastal range is any range of mountains forming a coastline. ... Border has several different, but related meanings: Generic borders A border can consist of a margin around the edge of something, such as a lawn, garden, photograph, or sheet of paper. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km... The Boundary Ranges, also known in the singular and as the Alaska Boundary Range, are the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. ... The Coast Mountains are the westernmost range of the Pacific Cordillera, running along the south western shore of the North American continent, extending south from the Alaska Panhandle and covering most of coastal British Columbia. ... The Alaska Boundary Dispute was a territorial dispute between the United States of America and Canada (then a British Dominion with its foreign affairs controlled from London), and at a subnational level between the territory of Alaska on the U.S. side and British Columbia and the Yukon on the...

History

The Alexander Archipelago Forest Reserve was established by Theodore Roosevelt in a presidential proclamation of 20 August 1902. Another presidential proclamation made by Roosevelt, on 10 September 1907, created the Tongass National Forest. On 1 July 1908, the two forests were joined, with the combined forest area encompassing most of southeast Alaska. Further presidential proclamations of 16 February 1909 (in the last months of the Roosevelt administration) and 10 June, and in 1925 (by Calvin Coolidge) expanded the National Forest. An early supervisor of the forest was William Alexander Langille.^[1] Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... June 10 is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. ...

Description

Tongass National Forest

The Tongass National Forest is home to about 75,000 people who are dependent on the land for their livelihoods. Several Alaska Native tribes live throughout Southeast Alaska, such as the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. 31 communities are located within the forest; the largest is Juneau, the state capital, with a population of 31,000. The forest is named for the Tongass group of the Tlingit people, who inhabited the southernmost areas of the Alaska panhandle near what is now Ketchikan. Tongass National Forest Taken by me on Douglas Island in the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska. ... Tongass National Forest Taken by me on Douglas Island in the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska. ... Alaska Natives are indigenous peoples who live in what is now the U.S. state of Alaska. ... The Alaska Panhandle is the coast of the American state of Alaska, just west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. ... A Tlingit totem pole in Ketchikan ca. ... The Haida are an Indigenous nation of the west coast of North America. ... The Tsimshian, usually pronounced in English as // (SIM-shee-an), translated as People Inside the Skeena River, are Indigenous, or Native American and First Nation people who live around Terrace and Prince Rupert, on the north coast of British Columbia and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. ... Flag Seal Location Location in Juneau City and Borough, Alaska Coordinates , Government Country State Borough United States Alaska Juneau City and Borough Founded Incorporated 1881 1890 Mayor Bruce Botelho Geographical characteristics Area     City 8,430. ... Ketchikan (IPA: ) is the fifth most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska and the southeasternnmost sizable city in that state. ...

Ecology

Along with British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest, Tongass is part of the "perhumid rainforest zone," and the forest is primarily made up of western red cedar, sitka spruce, and western hemlock. Tongass is Earth's largest remaining temperate rainforest^[2] Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km... The Great Bear Rainforest A Pacific Coast Temperate Rainforest, the Great Bear Rainforest is located in Southwestern British Columbia, Canada. ... Species Thuja plicata Western Redcedar, Thuja plicata, a species of thuja, is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the northwestern US and southwestern Canada, from southern Alaska and British Columbia south to northwest California and inland to western Montana. ... Binomial name Picea sitchensis (Bong. ... Binomial name Tsuga heterophylla (Raf. ...

Unique and protected features seldom found anywhere else in North America inhabit the thousands of islands along the Alaska coast. Five species of salmon, brown and black bear, and Bald eagles abound throughout the forest. North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... Illustration of a male Coho Salmon The Chinook or King Salmon is the largest salmon in North America and can grow to 1. ... Binomial name Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758 Ursus arctos range map. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1766) Bald Eagle range Subspecies (Linnaeus, 1766) Southern Bald Eagle Audubon, 1827) Northern Bald Eagle or Washingtons Eagle Synonyms Falco leucocephalus Linnaeus, 1766 The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), also known in the United States as the American Eagle, is a bird of prey found in North...

Though its land area is huge, two thirds of the Tongass is not actually forest, but snow, ice, rock, and non-forest vegetation. The terrain underlying Tongass is divided between karst (limestone rock, well-drained soil, and many caves), and granite (poorly-drained soil). Only 4% of Tongass is the low-elevation old growth forest that is both essential for wildlife and the timber industry. Over half of this area has been logged. Karst topography occurs when a landscape is marked by underground drainage patterns. ... Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... Old growth forest, sometimes called late seral forest or ancient forest is an area of forest that has attained great age and exhibits unique biological features. ...

Logging

US FS Map of Tongass National Forest

In the 1950s, in part to aid in Japanese recovery from World War II, the Forest Service set up long-term contracts with two pulp mills: the Ketchikan Pulp Company and the Alaska Pulp Company. These contracts lasted 50 years, and essentially divided up the land into areas slated for APC or KPC logs. These two companies conspired to drive log prices down, put smaller logging operations out of business, and were major and recalcitrant polluters in their local areas. The long-term contracts guaranteed low prices to the pulp companies -- in some cases resulting in trees being given away for "less than the price of a hamburger." Since 1980, the forest service has lost over a billion dollars in Tongass timber sales.^[3] Under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, 500,000 acres of the Tongass were selected by native corporations, and most of the areas have been clearcut.^[3]. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... United States Forest Service New Zealand Forest Service Canadian Forest Service This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was signed into law on December 18, 1971, and the largest land claims settlement in United States history was concluded. ... Clearfelling or clearcutting is the process where every tree is taken in a logging operation. ...

Misty Fjords Waterfall and kayak

About 70% of the old growth trees in Tongass have been logged. The karst terrain produces much larger trees and fewer muskeg bogs, and has been preferentially logged.^[3] Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Muskeg is a soil type (also a peatland or wetland type called a bog) common in arctic and boreal areas. ...

The most controversial logging in the Tongass has involved the roadless areas. The Tongass National Forest was included in the Roadless Initiative passed on 5 January 2001, during the last days of the Bill Clinton Administration, and the initiative prevented the construction of new roads in currently roadless areas of United States national forests. Roadless area conservation is an conservation-related term that refers to the prohibition of road construction in wilderness areas. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ...

However, several governors of western states soon joined forces with the timber industry to overturn the roadless policy. The George W. Bush Administration has declined to defend the policy in the courts and the U.S. Forest Service has largely exempted the Tongass from roadless protections.^[4] The Bush administration includes President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Bushs Cabinet, and other select officials and advisors. ...

In September 2006, a landmark court decision overturned Bush's repeal of the Roadless Rule, reverting to the 2001 roadless area protections established under president Clinton. However, the Tongass remained exempt from that ruling, and it is currently unclear what the fate of its vast roadless areas will be.

As of 2007, the forest service has released a new draft plan for the Tongass Forest. In June 2007, US House of Representatives members added an amendment to block federally-funded road building in Tongass National Forest. Proponents of the amendment said that the federal timber program in Tongass is a dead loss for taxpayers, costing some $30 million annually, and noted that the Forest Service faces an estimated $900 million road maintenance backlog in the forest. Supporters of the bipartisan amendment included the Republicans for Environmental Protection. Representative Steve Chabot, an Ohio Republican who sponsored the amendment, said "I am not opposed to logging when it's done on the timber company's dime...But in this case, they are using the American taxpayer to subsidize these 200 jobs at the tune of $200,000 per job. That just makes no sense."^[2] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the U.S. Congress, the other being the United States Senate. ... Republicans for Environmental Protection (or REP America), is a national organization of Republican voters formed in 1995 with the stated purpose of educating and advocating environmental issues and supporting efforts to conserve natural resources and protect human and environmental health. ... Steve Chabot (born January 22, 1953) is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio, representing that states first congressional district, in the Cincinnati area. ...

Notes

1. ^ Indian River protection (accessed 2007-04-12).
2. ^ ^{a b} U.S. House Boosts Spending for Environment, Conservation
3. ^ ^{a b c} Temperate Rainforests of the North Pacific Coast (accessed 2007-05-16).
4. ^ The Tongass: America's Largest National Forest (accessed 2007-04-12).

References

• Durbin, Kathie (1999). Tongass: Pulp Politics and the Fight for the Alaska Rain Forest. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. ISBN 087071466X.
• Ketchum, Robert Glenn (1987). The Tongass: Alaska's Vanishing Rain Forest: The Photographs of Robert Glenn Ketchum. Text by Robert Glenn Ketchum and Carey D. Ketchum; introduction by Roderick Nash. New York, New York: Aperture Foundation. Distributed in the U.S. by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
• List, Peter C., ed. (2000). Environmental Ethics and Forestry: A Reader. Environmental Ethics, Values, and Policy series. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press. ISBN 1566397847. ISBN 1566397855.

External links

• U.S. Forest Service - Tongass National Forest
• Tongass Conservation Society
• Southeast Alaska Conservation Council - coalition of local groups working to preserve the Tongass
• Temperate Rainforests of the North Pacific Coast
• Tongass National Forest page from Alaska Wilderness League site
• Tongass National Forest update from Alaska Wilderness League site