Today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Prince of Wales Landscape Level Analysis project, proposing massive new old-growth clearcutting on the largest island in our nation’s largest forest. In 2016, the USFS committed to a transition out of old-growth logging and away from uneconomical and destructive timber sales like this proposal.
Defenders of Wildlife Senior Alaska Representative, Pat Lavin, issued the following statement:
"The U.S. Forest Service committed to transition away from logging old-growth on the Tongass in 2016 because the agency correctly concluded that there is no future in clearcutting these magnificent forests. Clearing old-growth forests on Prince of Wales is a return to the past – the island has already suffered some of the most intensive industrial-scale clear-cut logging on the Tongass. More taxpayer-subsidized logging won’t create many jobs but will threaten wildlife such as the Alexander Archipelago wolf, Sitka black-tailed deer, northern flying squirrel and many other old-growth dependent species.
"It's time to bring a real transition to southeast Alaska – one that restores wildlife habitat and watersheds and supports the new sustainable economy of fishing and tourism, not unsustainable old-growth logging."
Defenders of Wildlife is celebrating 75 years of protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit defenders.org/newsroom and follow us on Twitter @Defenders.
