Timber Lawsuit To Push For Tongass Logging Dismissed By Federal Judge

As the Trump administration is seeking protections lifted for the Tongass National Forest and create logging opportunities there, a timber industry lawsuit seeking to accelerate a push to pursue old-growth logging in the Tongass. was thrown out of court this week.

From Alaska’s News Source:

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by timber industry groups and operators seeking to force increased old-growth logging in the Tongass National Forest, ruling the industry groups had no valid legal claim. 

U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason granted the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forest Service’s motion to dismiss and directed the clerk to enter final judgment for the federal defendants. …

In the order, the court rejected the plaintiffs’ argument that the Tongass Timber Reform Act requires the Forest Service to meet annual market demand for Tongass timber—or to provide old-growth if industry demand includes it. 

Among those who reacted to this decision was the Center For Biological Diversity:

“This ruling is a big victory for the Tongass’ old-growth forests. I’m relieved the court squarely rejected the logging industry’s rash attempt to force large-scale logging,” said Marlee Goska, Alaska attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This lawsuit had no legal basis and the court was right to dismiss the case outright. We need to leave the Tongass standing for the sake of wildlife, climate and local communities.”

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership also weighed in on the Tongass this week:

The current Tongass plan was last fully revised nearly three decades ago, and the Forest Service says the update is needed to reflect changes in science, regional economies, and how people use and experience the forest today.

Another important policy context surrounding the plan revision involves the management of roadless areas within the Tongass. More than nine million acres of the forest are currently designated as roadless areas: large, relatively undeveloped landscapes that provide important habitat for fish and wildlife and opportunities for backcountry hunting and fishing.

The Forest Service is currently considering broader changes to the national Roadless Area Conservation Rule. As part of the Tongass plan revision, the agency will analyze at least one alternative that would remove roadless safeguards. For hunters and anglers, the absence of roads helps support intact habitat and provides some of the most remote recreation opportunities remaining in Southeast Alaska. The Forest Service is also exploring ways to streamline the forest plan by reducing the number of management areas that guide different land uses. This could shift more focus to forest-wide standards while simplifying the overall structure of management designations across the Tongass.