Tongass National Forest

Newsroom

This section of the Website provides news relevant to the Forest Plan adjustment process, including Tongass National Forest news releases and other public announcements. Information about the Forest Plan Amendment decision is also available on the Media Toolkit page.

Public Information Posters

Four public information posters were developed for use at the public meetings that were held during the Draft EIS comment period. These posters summarize the following key aspects of the Tongass Forest Plan and Draft EIS:

Issues, Alternatives and Decision Challenges

Timber Demand

Legacy Forest Structure

Conservation Strategy Review

News Releases

Regional Forester releases Record of Decision for Tongass Land Management Plan Amendment

(January 25, 2008) Alaska Regional Forester Denny Bschor signed the Record of Decision (ROD) today that approved the 2008 Tongass Land Management Plan Amendment.

Public Comment Period on Amendment of Tongass Forest Plan Extended to April 30

(March 20, 2007) Tongass National Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole today announced that the public comment period for the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) and draft amended forest plan has been extended from April 12 to April 30, 2007.

Governor Palin Responds to Tongass National Forest Plan Calls for Cooperation and Balance

(January 12, 2007) Governor Palin today reaffirmed her commitment to responsible resource development by supporting the process for a balanced Tongass National Forest Plan.

Amendment of Tongass Forest Plan Available for Public Review

(January 10, 2007) Tongass National Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole today announced that the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) and draft amended forest plan that responds to the Ninth Circuit Court decision of August 2005, and the 2005 mid-term review of the plan, has been mailed to interested parties.

Alaska Timber Projection Study Reveals Market Trends

(March 27, 2006) A recently completed economic study of timber demand projections for the next two decades in southeast Alaska explains four alternatives describing how the forest products industry could develop.

Amendment of Tongass Forest Plan Launched

(March 21, 2006) Tongass National Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole today outlined the timeline and steps needed to amend the Tongass forest plan in response to the Ninth Circuit Court decision of last August and the 2004 mid-term review of the plan, in an address to the Southeast Conference meeting in Juneau, Alaska.

Tongass Eyes Motorized Recreation

(February 28, 2006) The Tongass is taking up off-highway vehicle (OHV) issues in light of the national regulation, announced by the Forest Service in November, concerning recreational motor vehicle use in national forests and grasslands.

Tongass Unveils New Website

(January 25, 2006) The public has a new opportunity today to take part in management of the Tongass National Forest as the forest unveils a new Website. The Forest Plan Adjustment site is chock-full of information related to the update of the 1997 Forest Plan.

Forest Service Proposes Minor Amendment to 2005 Planning Rule

(January 4, 2006) The Forest Service is seeking public comment on a proposed rule change that would affect only the Tongass National Forest, and would allow that Forest to revise its land management plan to address the issues identified by the court either under the 2005 rule or the planning regulations in effect before November 9, 2000.

Other Public Information Releases

Notice of Intent

(March 28, 2006, Federal Register) The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that evaluates a potential significant amendment to the 1997 Tongass National Forest Plan.

Comments from Forest Supervisor at Southeast Conference Meeting

(March 21, 2006) Today, I am once again announcing Forest Service intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to correct the deficiencies in our Forest Plan found by the Ninth Circuit Court relating to timber demand, range of alternatives, and cumulative effects of timber harvesting on State and private ownerships.

Related News Articles

TLMP Cyber Open House Well Received

(March 24, 2007) The U.S. Forest Service Tongass Web site's traffic increased about 93 percent Thursday during the Internet open house about the Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan.

Study: Need for Tongass Logs in Flux

(March 29, 2006) The Forest Service unveiled a new Tongass timber study Tuesday that shows a more extreme range of options for the future of Southeast Alaska's logging industry.

Feds to Retool Timber Plan

(March 7, 2006) The Tongass National Forest is getting ready to undertake a major re-evaluation of its forest plan, with a special focus on recalculating the market demand for Tongass timber.

Tongass May Use Reagan-era Rule to Revise Management Plan

(January 4, 2006, Greenwire) Under pressure from environmentalists, the Forest Service is considering bypassing its controversial new planning rule when it begins to update the management plan for Alaska's Tongass National Forest later this year.

Court: Tongass Land Plan is in Need of Fixing

(August 7, 2005, Juneau Empire) A federal appeals court on Friday ruled that errors in the U.S. Forest Service's land management plan for the Tongass National Forest make it "arbitrary and capricious," and kept a temporary ban on building a logging road near Ketchikan.

Court: Tongass Log Plan Flawed

(August 6, 2005, Anchorage Daily News) In a victory for environmentalists, a federal appeals court has tossed out a management plan for the Tongass National Forest, saying the government erroneously doubled the amount of old growth timber that could be logged from the huge Southeast Alaska forest.

9th Circuit Hears Tongass Timber Case

(February 17, 2005, Ketchikan Daily News) Environmental groups and the U.S. Forest Service debated timber demand estimates and Tongass National Forest management at a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals hearing Tuesday in Seattle.