Tongass
See impact of roads and clear cuts during last century.
Tongass
See impact of roads and clear cuts during last century.
The Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska, recognized by World Wildlife Fund as an area of global conservation importance (Ricketts et al. 1999) is home to roughly one quarter of the world's temperate rainforest. Despite this regions global and national significance, up to 90% of low-elevation, high-volume, old-growth forests have been logged since the early 1950s (DellaSala et al. 1996).
Using time series computer mapping, the Conservation Biology Institute was able to show the history of logging and road building from 1899 to 1999. Prior to 1960, logging was primarily constrained along the coast with very few roads penetrating inland habitats.
Since 1960, logging and road building has increased dramatically fragmenting many of the various forest communities found in the region, especially those occupying low-elevations where high volume old-growth forests are concentrated.
While much of the Tongass is protected, these lands fail to capture much of these low-elevation forest habitats. These forests require further protections such as those provided in the Clinton Era Roadless Rule.
