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John,

Swaying gently in the coastal breeze, the 500-year-old Sitka spruce stands sentry over the only home it's ever known -- southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest.

This tree holds so many stories, and as Sitka spruce can reach 800, even a thousand years in age, it's sure to gather many more -- so long as it's not logged first.[1]

The U.S. Forest Service is moving to open millions of acres of forest across the country to logging -- including much of the Tongass -- endangering some of the nation's most ancient trees.[2]

Will you help defend this majestic tree and millions like it by donating to our Year-End Drive?
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Today, the Tongass National Forest is the crown jewel of the National Forest system. Trees stretching hundreds of feet into the sky shelter a vibrant ecosystem where black and grizzly bears browse for berries and salmon fill the crystalline streams.[3]

Though the scars of industrial logging remain visible in the stumps of giants chopped down in the 20th century, much of the Tongass looks similar to the way it did prior to European settlement.[4]

This is largely the result of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which was enacted in 2001 and protects 58 million acres of forest across the country from fragmentation from road building and destruction by logging and mining. That includes more than 9 million acres of the Tongass.[5]

The U.S. Forest Service is planning to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. If this happens, pristine old-growth forest groves could be reduced to fields of stumps.

For our Year-End Drive, we've set a goal of raising $150,000 to help defend the Roadless Rule and the millions of trees it protects. Donate today to help us reach our goal.
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Our national network has been working to defend wild forests including the Tongass for decades. In 2001, our network helped win the original Roadless Rule after delivering nearly 700,000 public comments in support of forest protections.[6]

We aren't about to stop now. With the help of supporters like you, we're:

* Mobilizing the public to speak up in defense of our wild forests,
* Supporting legislation like the Roadless Area Conservation Act that will permanently protect the millions of acres of forests on the chopping block, and
* Continuing to call on the U.S. Forest Service to keep protecting 45 million acres of wild forests.



For 500 years, this Sitka spruce has been maturing, reaching up to meet then surpass its elders as generations of birds nest in its branches and as ermine, foxes and wolves shelter in dens dug out beneath its roots.

We're working to ensure the next chapter in this tree's incredible life won't be its last -- and you can help.

Be part of this tree's story of survival: Give today.
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On behalf of our forests and trees, thank you,

Ellen Montgomery

1. Brendan Jones, "Trees older than America: a primeval Alaskan forest is at risk in the Trump era," The Guardian, March 22, 2018.
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2. Ellen Montgomery, "What is the roadless rule and why should you care about it?," Environment America, July 23, 2025.
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3. Juliet Eilperin, "This tree has stood here for 500 years. Will it be sold for $17,500?," Washington Post, December 30, 2021.
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4. Amy Gulick, "Tongass National Forest: Remains of the Rainforest," Sierra Magazine, November 2, 2001.
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5. Ellen Montgomery, "What is the roadless rule and what does it mean for the Tongass?," Environment America Research & Policy Center, January 25, 2023.
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6. Ellen Montgomery, "What is the roadless rule and what does it mean for the Tongass?," Environment America Research & Policy Center, January 25, 2023.
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