Protecting Southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest

Tourism is Southeast Alaska’s number one employer, supporting more than 8,300 jobs and $347 million in wages each year. In 2023 alone, the sector grew by 26 percent, adding 1,700 jobs and $105 million in new wages that sustain local families and businesses. That growth is no accident; it is built on the protection of the very landscapes travelers come here to see. The Tongass National Forest, safeguarded by the Roadless Rule, is the backbone of this economy. To weaken those protections is to threaten not only the environment but also the livelihoods of thousands of Alaskans.

At UnCruise Adventures, we have witnessed this connection firsthand. For nearly 30 years, our small U.S.-flagged ships have brought thousands of guests into the Tongass to experience its salmon streams, old-growth forests, and thriving wildlife. To wit: conservation is not only environmental stewardship, but also sound business, and the only path forward for Southeast Alaska’s communities, ecosystems, and our tourism industry.

This isn’t just about Alaska, it’s about every forest where balance still exists between people, wildlife, and wild places. The proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule would undo protections across Forest Service lands nationwide. Here in Southeast Alaska, that includes the very places our guests come to experience (Kuiu Island, Peril Strait, Port Houghton, and East Chichagof Island).

When we visit, we witness firsthand how salmon, bears, eagles, and whales are all connected by intact streams and healthy forests. These ecosystems don’t just create breathtaking scenery; they sustain life itself. Roadless protections safeguard the balance of these natural systems, ensuring that travelers, communities, and wildlife alike can thrive. As tourism grows, preserving these wild, interconnected places is essential.

Industrial logging tells a different story. The Tongass timber program has lost taxpayers roughly $600 million over the past two decades and more than $1.7 billion in 40 years. Logging roads carved through steep, remote terrain have left nearly 700 stream crossings that block or damage salmon habitat. Building new roads would pile more costs on taxpayers and more harm on the fish and wildlife that power our second most important industry, seafood.

Public opinion is overwhelming. In the last rulemaking, 96 percent of unique comments urged the Forest Service to keep roadless protections. In January 2023, the federal government restored the Roadless Rule across 9.37 million acres of the Tongass. The message is clear: this is patriotic stewardship. It is common sense. It is pro-local business and pro-Alaska.

The Tongass is not just scenery. It is jobs, the fishing industry, wildlife, and the future of Southeast Alaska communities. Keeping the Roadless Rule keeps all of that alive.

Take Action

• The USDA opened the public comment period on Aug. 29. It will last until Sept. 19. Comments can be submitted through the Federal Register.

• Learn more and support efforts at SalmonState.org.

• Call your congressional representatives to urge them to protect the Roadless Rule.

• Watch UnCruise’s official video statement on the Roadless Rule.