Dear John,
Trump just announced plans to strip the Tongass National Forest -- America’s “Amazon” -- of key protections to keep out the logging and drilling industries.
Soon, 9.2 million acres of the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest, home to thousand-year-old trees, could be destroyed. What’s worse, destroying the Tongass would pave the way for clear-cutting other national forests.
With your help, we can show a groundswell of grassroots opposition to Trump’s latest giveaway to Big Polluters and convince the USDA to change course. But we must act fast!
Protect our national forests: Stop the Department of Agriculture from allowing clear-cutting, mining, and logging in Tongass National Forest.
The Roadless Rule prevents clear-cutting in nearly 56 million acres of national forests across the country, including half of the Tongass. It also saves taxpayers millions of dollars by limiting the number of expensive roadbuilding projects on our public lands.
As our last and largest national temperate rainforest -- often called our “Amazon” -- the Tongass National Forest should be protected, not opened for clear-cutting. Once one National Forest is open for destruction, there’s no telling where this administration will stop. If Trump’s plan is approved, it would be a huge blow to both our planet’s biodiversity and our pockets.
The Tongass and other national forests provide clean drinking water to millions of Americans. And the Tongass in particular provides habitats for thousands of wildlife species -- including most of the remaining wild salmon population. The only beneficiary of this senseless rollback will be Trump’s Big Polluter cronies. Now it’s up to engaged environmentalists like you and me to speak up against Trump’s obsessive attacks on the Tongass.
Save the Tongass National Forest from Trump's obsessive attacks!
The Tongass is home to pacific salmon, iconic bald eagles, southern resident orcas, and even a 1000-year-old tree! It also contains the traditional homelands of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Peoples.
And beyond its natural beauty and cultural importance, the Tongass Forest is one of the world’s best climate defenses. The old trees store nearly 10-12 percent of all carbon consumed by America’s National Forests.
Let’s be clear: This is a giveaway to Big Polluters at the expense of our climate, endangered wildlife, and Indigenous communities.
Trump has obsessed over destroying the Tongass since he took office. He attacks the regulations that protect it every chance he gets. And he personally pushed for the decision to rollback Roadless Rule protections for the Tongass after speaking to Alaska’s Governor.
Friends of the Earth members like you have stopped the Trump Administration from destroying our wild places before. Now, we need your help to do it again, John.
Tell the USDA to protect Tongass National Forest from mining and logging!
Standing with you,
Nicole Ghio,
Senior fossil fuels program manager,
Friends of the Earth
