Tongass National Forest

Tongass National Forest

Protect irreplaceable old-growth forest

The Tongass National Forest—America’s largest national forest—is a place of ancient trees, towering mountains, and vast glaciers stretching across Southeast Alaska. Its old-growth forests sustain some of the richest wildlife habitat on Earth, including unparalleled concentrations of brown bears, bald eagles, and salmon that nourish communities and cultures that have lived here since time immemorial.

But powerful industries continue pushing to carve roads and clearcut millions of acres of these fragile lands, weakening Roadless Rule protections, and prioritizing short-term extraction over the long-term health of the forest and the people who depend on it. Alaska Wilderness League stands with local and Indigenous leaders to defend the Tongass and ensure its old-growth forests endure for generations to come.

Tongass National Forest Map

What's at stake

Tongass Wildlife

Diverse Wildlife

The Tongass is home to humpback and orca whales, otters, beavers, Alexander Archipelago wolves, and some of the largest, densest concentrations of brown bears and bald eagles found on the planet.
People of the Tongass

People of the Tongass

The Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian have lived in the Tongass for thousands of years, sustaining cultural traditions and daily life through the region’s rich salmon, wildlife, and natural abundance. Today, nearly 70,000 people across 32 communities call the Tongass home, supported by growing commercial fishing, tourism, and recreation industries.
Tongass National Forest

Carbon Storehouse

The Tongass’s old-growth and mature forests are critical to climate mitigation, storing more than 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide and removing an additional 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.
Victories Victories

Together with Tribal and local partners, we’ve shown why opening the Tongass to clearcutting and new roads isn’t just harmful to the climate and wildlife, it’s a shortsighted choice that undermines the region’s long-term health and prosperity.

Here’s what we’ve accomplished:

KEEP FIGHTING

The fight for the Tongass is a legacy worth defending—and with your support, we will.

JOIN ALASKA’S DEFENSE
Protecting Alaska’s sacred, vast, and fragile lands and waters is our shared responsibility. Every dollar you give helps us defend the cultures, communities, and climate that depend on them.
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