Reinstate the "Roadless Rule" To Protect Tongass National Forest From Logging
Final signature count: 22,656
Sponsor: The Rainforest Site
There's nothing to gain from destroying some of the most rare ecosystems on the planet, but we stand to lose a lot.
Alaska’s Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest and the world’s last remaining temperate rainforest, so we need to protect it.
The 17-million-acre rainforest is home to 30% of the world’s remaining old-growth trees, which absorb and store more carbon than young trees, and was protected from commercial logging and construction under U.S. Service’s Roadless Rule, until recently.
In 2020, the Trump Administration exempted Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Rule, putting 9 million acres (55%) of vital old-growth trees at risk1.
The spruce, cedar and hemlock trees not only absorb and store 8 percent of total carbon in the U.S. but are a vital resource to multiple Indigenous tribes and home to over 400 wildlife species2.
The Tongass National Forest is vital in our fight against climate change.
There’s nothing to be gained by logging this area, including economic gain. Those in favor claim it will bring more jobs and money to the state, but logging only accounts for 1% of the area’s employment, while fishing and tourism account for 25%3.
Once these essential and rare ecosystems are destroyed, they are gone forever, and we need them now more than ever.
Tell President Joe Biden to immediately reinstate the Roadless Rule to Tongass National Forest for the sake of people, animals, and the planet.
Sign now.