The U.S. Forest Service will hold an in-person public meeting in Juneau on Wednesday to gather feedback for the Tongass National Forest Management Plan revision. The plan will set the agency’s priorities for the forest over the next decade or more.
The meeting will be held at the Juneau Ranger District building on Mendenhall Loop Road from 5 to 7 p.m. Attendance is in-person only — the Forest Service does not plan to livestream or record the meeting.
The federal agency launched the public process for updating the forest plan in February. Forest plans are typically updated every 10 to 15 years, and the last one for the Tongass was completed in 2016. The plan will influence how the Forest Service balances a range of forest uses including logging, recreation, tourism, subsistence harvest and ecosystem health.
The next deadline to submit comments electronically is May 6. The agency is seeking comments specifically on a draft outline for the coming plan and list of species of conservation concern.
The agency expects to publish a draft revised plan and draft environmental impact statement this fall, followed by a 90-day public comment period. The final plan is expected next May.
