Forest Service Initiates 30-Day Comment Period As Potus Plans To Revise/Remove Roadless Rule Protections

The following is courtesy of the United States Forest Service:

Tongass National Forest plan revision open for public input

Release Date: February 18, 2026
Contact Information: Paul Robbins Jr.    907-617-2063  paul.robbins@usda.gov

(Juneau, Alaska, February 18, 2026) — Today, the Forest Service published a notice of intent in the Federal Register to revise the Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan and prepare an environmental impact statement. The notice opens a 30-day public comment period, inviting the public to provide input on strategies for future management of the 16.7-million-acre Tongass National Forest.

Public comments will help identify changes that are needed to the current plan, adopted in 1997, to align with best available science, as well as laws and regulations, including Presidents Trump’s Executive Order 14225 – Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production to support American economies and improve forest health and Executive Order 14153 Unleash Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential, benefitting the Nation and the American citizens who call Alaska home.

“We’re taking another step forward in the process to modernize the Tongass National Forest plan by prioritizing long-term regional prosperity, adapting to 25 years of economic and ecological changes, and improving clarity of direction within the plan,” said Tongass National Forest Supervisor Monique Nelson. “This is another opportunity to work collaboratively with tribes, communities, partners, and the public to ensure the revised plan meets the needs and values of the public we serve.”

Please submit comments via webform. Hardcopy letters must be submitted to the following address: Tongass National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, 648 Mission Street, Suite 110, Federal Building, Ketchikan, AK 99901. For those submitting hand-delivered comments, please call 907-519-8035 to make arrangements.

For more information on the process, please visit the plan revision website or the project webpage.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

The Center for Biological Diversity also released the following statement:

“I’m deeply concerned that the Trump administration is fast-tracking the Tongass forest plan revision so it can force large?scale clearcut logging of beautiful old-growth trees,” said Marlee Goska, Alaska attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Logging in the Tongass has never delivered lasting prosperity for Southeast communities. What the region really needs is a future built on safeguarding old?growth forests, restoring salmon habitat, and supporting sustainable recreation. We’ll be watching closely to make sure the Tongass’s old-growth forests and remarkable fish and wildlife remain protected from Trump’s shortsighted extraction agenda.”