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Tongass National Forest (Alaska)
The sprawling Tongass National Forest, located in southeast Alaska, holds the distinction of being the largest temperate rainforest in the world. Encompassing a staggering 16.9 million acres, it stretches across the renowned “Inside Passage” region, which includes Glacier Bay National Park.
Dominated by Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar, the Tongass National Forest contains nearly one-third of the world’s remaining old-growth temperate rainforest, making it a remarkably diverse and valuable habitat. It provides essential habitats for grizzly bears, moose, river otters, harbor seals, wolves, and countless other species. Also, the forest’s waterways teem with an abundance of pink, sockeye, coho, and king salmon, crucial in sustaining local fishing communities.
But the forest is not without its threats. In addition to the dangers posed by climate change, the Trump administration scrapped many roadless laws in the rainforest, opening up the irreplaceable old-growth forest to clearcut logging. President Biden restored the protections on his first week in office.
Large chunks of the forest are still open to clearcut logging, which reduces its ability to store carbon and accelerates the effects of climate change, meaning that animals are less resilient and more likely to leave or become extinct.
Hoh Rainforest (Olympic National Park-Washington)
The majority of Olympic National Park is a federally protected wilderness. The verdant old-growth trees have become synonymous with the region, providing habitats and refuge for many wildlife, including the largest unmanaged herd of Roosevelt elk in the Pacific Northwest.
The region receives about 12 feet of rain. That helps grow conifers typical of temperate rainforests and ensures the rainforest can provide for the animals.
The park also offers some of the most exceptional hiking opportunities in the nation. Recently, it was named as possibly the “quietest place in the U.S.,” providing a serene escape from whatever hellscape you arrived from.
Overall, the Hoh rainforest is doing pretty well, but some concerns exist.
Rising temperatures resulting from climate change are leading to a surge in insect infestations, increasing the mortality rates among native trees. Additionally, the decline of endangered and endemic species, the encroachment of invasive species, and the looming threats of pollution, including air pollution and oil spills, are causing more significant concerns. While park managers may not be able to prevent these issues from happening, they can help manage the fallout.
Chugach National Forest (Alaska)
While Chugach National Forest is smaller than Tongass National Forest, covering an area about one-third its size, it still stands as one of the most extensive national forests in the United States – comparable to New Hampshire.
Situated approximately 500 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the forest is home to a diverse range of vibrant and thriving landscapes, including dazzling blue glaciers, lush wetlands, and forests. It’s home to moose, bald eagles, and various other species. Additionally, the rivers within Chugach National Forest play a significant role in salmon production.
Indigenous tribes have forged connections to this land for thousands of years, with Chugach Eskimo, Eyak Indians, Kenaitze, and other Athabascan Indian groups still residing there. The forest reserve, which later became Chugach National Forest under the designation of President Theodore Roosevelt, was among the first of its kind in the country. It also forms part of the cherished Alaskan tradition, the Iditarod National Historic Trail.
But like many of the country’s wildest landscapes, Chugach is facing threats of climate change similar to Tongass. A recent climate change vulnerability assessment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture noted that because of the park’s high latitude, it would experience a much more drastic increase in temperature in the next 50 years. That could drastically alter the park’s biodiversity and cost the salmon fishing industry over $500 million a year.
El Yunque National Forest (Puerto Rico)
El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Located in northern Puerto Rico, it’s home to palms, dwarf broadleaf trees and colorful orchids instead of spruce, and species you won’t find anywhere in the contiguous U.S, such as rare fruit bats, tiny tree frogs called coquí and the endangered Puerto Rican amazon (a type of parrot). The forest was first protected as a reserve more than 110 years ago and drew about 1.2 million visitors yearly.
Unlike the nation’s temperate forests, El Yunque faces very different threats. Frequent and more dangerous hurricanes are chief among them. However, droughts are also expected to alter the tropical forest distribution, while flooding results from changing weather patterns in the Caribbean.
