PUBLIC LANDS WATCH

Tongass National Forest (2001 Roadless Rule Rescission)

Southeast Alaska (Tongass National Forest, plus nationwide National Forest System roadless areas) · National Forest; threat concerns the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule · managed by U.S. Forest Service / USDA

Status: Proposed rescission — draft EIS expected 2026, litigation history ongoing Threat: Logging / road construction — roadless rule rescission
Scope
Place file — a specific parcel of public land
Coordinates
57.5, -134.0
Page last verified
2026-08-17
Site maintainer of record
Alicen M.
Last edit
2026-08-17 by Alicen M.
File
/tongass-roadless-rule

01 — Historical & Cultural Record

The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the U.S. at 16.7 million acres and the world's largest intact temperate rainforest, containing old-growth trees up to 800 years old. The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule has protected roughly 58.5 million acres of National Forest System land nationwide from new road construction and most commercial logging,10 including more than 9 million roadless acres within the Tongass. The Federal Register Notice of Intent puts the Tongass figure at approximately 9.3 million acres; High Country News gives 9.2 million. This page uses the Federal Register figure.17 In 2020, the first Trump administration exempted the Tongass specifically from roadless protections via the "Alaska Roadless Rule"; the Biden administration repealed that exemption on January 27, 2023, restoring the Tongass to standard 2001 Roadless Rule protection.414

02 — Current Threat

On June 23, 2025, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced intent to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule nationwide, affecting nearly 45 million acres of national forest, explicitly including the Tongass.39 The formal Notice of Intent published in the Federal Register on August 29, 2025 (doc. 2025-16581) puts the affected area at approximately 44.7 million acres of National Forest System land, of which roughly 9.3 million acres are Tongass inventoried roadless areas, and cites Executive Orders 14153, 14192, 14225, and 14154 as authority. Executive Order 14153, "Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential," expressly excludes the Tongass from Roadless Rule protections.1 A public scoping comment period ran August 2025 through September 19, 2025.111 A Center for Western Priorities analysis of 183,000 comments filed before bulk petitions arrived found that 99.2% opposed the rescission, 0.6% supported it and 0.2% were neutral, with a stated margin of error of about 1.4%; the comment period closed with 223,862 comments posted and 625,737 received overall, the difference reflecting petitions submitted in bulk.56 An earlier 2020 action drew comparable opposition, with 96% of comments opposed.14 A draft Environmental Impact Statement and proposed rule were expected in 2026.3 Separately, President Trump's March 2026 executive orders directed a 25% increase in national forest timber volume (targeting 4 billion board feet by 2028) under a "Timber Extraction Directive," creating overlapping pressure with the roadless rescission specifically in parts of the Tongass.7 As of May 2026, the Forest Service had not held public meetings specifically on the Tongass roadless rescission, prompting Southeast Alaska Conservation Council to organize independent public hearings, beginning with its "Stand Tall for the Tongass" hearing on April 1, 2026.1312

A second, separate process is now open. On February 18, 2026 the Forest Service published a Federal Register notice (doc. 2026-03197) initiating a revision of the Tongass Land Management Plan and opening scoping on it. This is distinct from the roadless rescission and governs the forest's own management direction.2

As of this page's last verification on August 17, 2026, publication of the draft EIS and proposed roadless rule — expected in early 2026, with a final rule anticipated late 2026 — was not confirmed. No specific 2026 Tongass timber-sale records were located.

03 — Documented Impact: Environmental

Geology & Forest Type: The Tongass is an old-growth coastal temperate rainforest along the Inside Passage; it is documented as one of the world's most significant carbon sinks, absorbing more carbon dioxide than it emits.9

Water: Roadless areas nationally protect watersheds supplying drinking water to an estimated 47 million Americans; the Forest Service's own Watershed Condition Framework uses road density as a key indicator of degraded water quantity/quality, since new roads block stream flow and increase sediment loading, which can raise water-purification costs downstream.6

Habitat & Endangered/Keystone Species: The Tongass supports eagles, bears (including black bears), and salmon populations tied to old-growth-shaded streams; salmon runs specifically depend on intact forest cover, since the Tongass provides two-thirds of the pink salmon and 75% of the coho caught by commercial fishermen in Southeast Alaska waters.11

Climate: As one of the world's largest carbon sinks, large-scale logging in the Tongass would release stored carbon and reduce future carbon sequestration capacity, a documented concern distinct from and additive to habitat-fragmentation effects.

Long-Term Effects: Habitat fragmentation from new permanent road construction is characterized by conservation groups as unable to be restored once built.10 A cited historical precedent: unregulated 1980s clearcut logging in the Tongass (e.g., at Kíis Gwaay) caused damage that the Organized Village of Kasaan and other tribes describe as still being actively repaired decades later, illustrating multi-decade recovery timelines even after logging stops.8

03 — Documented Impact: Cultural & Archaeological

For Southeast Alaska Native tribes, including the Organized Village of Kasaan (Haida) and Tlingit & Haida Nations, the Tongass is documented as indistinguishable from cultural identity, subsistence practice, and traditional ways of life; tribal leaders have specifically framed the proposed rescission as a violation of tribal treaty rights, trust responsibilities, and federal law, not solely an environmental issue.

03 — Documented Impact: Economic & Fiscal

A published estimate found industrial logging in the Tongass has cost taxpayers $1.7 billion over 40 years, while creating comparatively few jobs, according to the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust's compiled analysis; the same analysis estimated the Roadless Rule has saved approximately $5 billion in avoided road-building costs over 20 years nationally. The Tongass also underpins a documented tourism and commercial/subsistence fishing economy tied to intact salmon habitat (see environmental section for salmon-catch percentages). A dedicated modern cost-benefit analysis specific to the 2025-2026 rescission proposal was not identified in current sourcing.

03 — Documented Impact: Legal Status

NRDC and other groups have a documented multi-decade litigation and advocacy history defending roadless protections for the Tongass specifically, including prior battles over the 2020 Alaska-specific exemption. New litigation specific to the 2025-2026 nationwide rescission proposal was not identified as filed yet in current sourcing, likely because the rule remains in the draft EIS/proposed-rule stage as of this page's last verification.

03 — Documented Impact: Human Health

Not yet documented — no dedicated human-health impact study specific to the roadless rescission was identified in current sourcing.

03 — Tribal / Public Consultation Status

When the Trump administration previously proposed removing Tongass roadless protections (a distinct, earlier 2020 action), 96% of public comments submitted opposed the proposal. For the current 2025-2026 rescission, a public scoping comment period ran through September 19, 2025. However, as of May 2026, the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council stated the Forest Service was "refusing to hold any public meetings" specifically on the roadless rule question, instead directing input through its ongoing review process for individual active timber proposals — a narrower channel than a dedicated roadless-rule public meeting. Tribal leaders (Organized Village of Kasaan and others) have separately and explicitly called for tribal governments to be treated as cooperating agencies in the environmental review, indicating that status had not yet been granted as of their public statements. Formal positions or resolutions of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and of the Organized Village of Kake were not captured with primary sources as of August 17, 2026.

04 — Named Companies & Responsible Parties

05 — Recorded Opposition & Support

06 — Timeline of Developments

07 — Sources

Primary

Secondary

Corrections Log

2026-08-17 — correction from a primary-source verification pass. The notice of intent was described as citing Executive Orders 14153, 14225, and 14154. It cites four: 14192, "Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation," was missing. Verified unchanged against the Federal Register text: the approximately 44.7 million acres nationwide, the approximately 9.3 million Tongass acres, the September 19, 2025 comment deadline, and the expectation of a draft EIS by March 2026 with a final rule late in 2026. 2026-08-17 — correction. The page summary previously gave the affected Tongass inventoried roadless area as 9.2 million acres, following High Country News. The Federal Register Notice of Intent of August 29, 2025 (doc. 2025-16581) gives approximately 9.3 million acres. The summary now uses the Federal Register figure, and both figures are stated in the Historical Record section.

Take Action

Formal scoping comment period closed September 19, 2025; a draft EIS and new comment period were expected in 2026.

Sign / comment on the public record for Tongass National Forest (2001 Roadless Rule Rescission) →