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Tongass Advisory Committee
Emphasizing the need for collaborative, creative and publicly owned solutions to forest management on the Tongass, USDA formally established a Federal Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary and Chief on transitioning the Tongass NF to young growth forest management.
Members represent a broad and diverse range of viewpoints and expertise, geographically diverse communities in and outside of Alaska, and people with a demonstrated commitment to working on collaborative solutions.
Committee Overview
Members selected to serve on the Tongass Advisory Committee will advise and give recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service.
The Committee has been asked to perform the following duties or other requests made by the Secretary or the Chief:
- As necessary and appropriate, identify the key elements to be considered for a potential Forest Plan modification assuming young growth is the focus of vegetation management in the future, while recognizing and balancing the other unique and equally important resource values of the Tongass, such as tourism, recreation, fishing, subsistence and renewable energy.
- Offer recommendations on the suitable and available land base for developing an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable forest management program on the Tongass National Forest with emphasis on young growth management. Considerations include standards and guides and land use designations for a future modification of the Tongass Land Management Plan.
- Provide advice on how to speed the shift from predominately old growth management to predominately young growth management, in a way that is economically viable for the existing industry. This may include consideration of options for managing stands.
- Offer advice on opportunities to work cooperatively with other landowners on an all lands young growth forest management strategy.
Meetings
Meeting summaries, agendas, background documents and related information can be found on Meridian Institute’s Tongass Advisory Committee page http://merid.org/TongassAdvisoryCommittee.aspx
- December 1-3 - Ketchikan
- May 6-8 - Ketchikan
- March 25-27 - Juneau
- February 17-19 - Juneau
- January 20-23 - Juneau
- November 19-21 - Sitka
- October 8-10 - Prince of Wales Island (POW)
- September 10-12 - Juneau
- August 6-8, 2014 - Ketchikan
How the Tongass Advisory Committee (TAC) impacts the Forest Plan Amendment
The Tongass Advisory Committee is working on recommendations and advice that may inform the Forest Plan Amendment. The work that the TAC is doing is concurrent, yet distinct, from the Forest Plan Amendment process. For further information on the Forest Plan Amendment process, please go to the Forest Plan Amendment page.
Please contact Marina Whitacre, Committee Coordinator, at P.O. Box 1328 Petersburg, AK 99833 (907) 772-5934 with any inquiries.
