Forest Service Proposes Revamp of Alaska Tongass Management Plan

The US Forest Service is updating its management plan for Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, according to a notice posted Tuesday citing a need to “ensure consistency” with executive orders focused on increasing timber production and developing natural resources.

Proposed changes include simplifying the forest plan format, adjusting the plan to account for increased cruise ships, and reviewing old growth habitat areas, “which are highly valued for specialty wood products,” the notice says.

The revision is needed in order to have the plan reflect “changes in economic, social, and ecological conditions, new agency policies and priorities, and new information based on ...