A new year often comes with a sense of hope and, despite what we know is ahead, we’re sticking with hope because we also know we can take on hard things together. Here’s a roundup of our forest-focused work, looking back a bit at 2024 and anticipating some of what’s to come in 2025. Don’t be too surprised to hear from us again with some big updates after inauguration day. With the incoming administration and Governor Dunleavy’s wishlist for the rollback of environmental protections we expect to be busy.
Forest Plan Revision draft assessment drop
The Draft Assessment for the Tongass Forest Plan Revision was released on January 10, triggering a 45-day public comment period. Coming in at more than 800 pages, SEACC has co-signed a letter to the Forest Service requesting a comment period extension to at least 90 days. Meanwhile, we’re hard at work combing through the documents and we’ll have more to share soon.
The summary accompanying the full assessment found the following ‘roles and contributions’ to be the most vital and valued based on public engagement so far: 1) Alaska Native homelands; 2) Subsistence/Customary and Traditional Uses; 3) Temperate Rainforest Archipelago; 4) Salmon, and 5) Recreation. What are we noticing here? Top public priorities are not logging and extractive industries.
Ready for a Roadless repeal
With inauguration day looming, we anticipate the Roadless Rule will be on the chopping block — it’s outlined in Project 2025 and Dunleavy’s wishlist. Time and again, SEACC has stood up, alongside our members and supporters, to defend and uphold the Roadless Rule here in the Tongass. We’ll be calling on you again when the next assault is mounted.
Check out this story in the Alaska Current, in which SEACC staff and Organized Village of Kake President Jackson are quoted, talking about these prospects and what these rollbacks would mean for Southeast Alaska.
A five-year plan that fails Alaska forests
The State of Alaska’s Draft Five-Year Schedule of Timber Sales for 2026–2030 outlines proposed logging activities on 6,167 acres, with 98.5% of the sales comprising old-growth or mixed old and young-growth forests.
We’re asking the Alaska Department of Natural Resources to reconsider these plans because of the ecological and cultural importance of preserving our remaining old-growth forests — plus these old-growth trees are just more valuable standing than cut. High volume old growth forests, which represent less than 3% of Southeast Alaska’s land area, are disproportionately targeted for commercial harvest despite their crucial roles in biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, and habitat provision.
Public comments are due by January 27 and you can speak up too. We’ve created a comment template and you can customize it if you want to add your own concerns.
It may be broken, but this isn’t the fix
House Republicans are brazenly rushing a very dangerous bill to a floor vote next week, January 23, with no committee process. The so-called “Fix Our Forests Act” would effectively stifle citizen voices, remove science from land management decisions and undercut key environmental laws on millions of acres of federal lands. Its sweeping provisions remove standards and accountability in service of the short-term interests of extractive industries.
SEACC, other organizations and communities have raised significant concerns. This is yet another example of industry and its congressional allies using popular ideas like ‘forest management’ as a trojan horse for weakening environmental laws and forest protections that ultimately benefit their profits, not the public.
NOGA now a no-go
Throughout 2024, SEACC staff spent countless hours working with Tribal governments, municipalities and small businesses in Southeast to demonstrate support for the adoption of stronger old-growth protections as a part of the National Old Growth Amendment. This month it was announced that NOGA was withdrawn by the Forest Service before the Final EIS was due for release.
While this is disappointing news for old growth forests, with the November election results, it’s likely the best case scenario. If it moved forward now, there’s speculation it would be rejected under the Congressional Review Act, preventing a future friendly administration from protecting old growth using the rulemaking process.
We’re proud of the work we’ve done in support of NOGA and know the relationships and momentum we’ve built will strengthen our Tongass work in 2025 and beyond.
I know it can feel like a lot, but we’ll do our best to identify priority issues and make taking action as straightforward as possible.
I’m ready to keep fighting along side all of you in 2025, standing tall for our old-growth trees and shared values.
