E-M:/ America's Rainforest Under Threat!

Help Stop the Tongass from Becoming Plywood!

Help out in the national call in day for the Tongass National Forest on

Monday, March 29th and Tuesday, March 30th!

Call Timber Products Company and Tell them not to Log the Tongass!

1-888-744-7861

The Alaska Coalition is asking for support in this critical time for the Tongass National Forest, our nation's largest forest. As many of you may know, the Bush Administration lifted protection for 9 million acres of roadless areas when it exempted the Tongass from the Roadless Rule two days before Christmas last year. This opened the door for business to the logging industry and we face a threat that could turn old growth trees in the Tongass into plywood! We need your help in a nation-wide call in day on March 29th and 30th to help stop this nonsense!

Background on the Tongass:

The Tongass National Forest in Alaska represents the largest intact temperate rainforest left in the world, it is the Amazon of North America. The Tongass is a remote coastal rainforest with centuries-old trees providing critical habitat for wolves, bears, salmon and Bald Eagles that have nearly disappeared from the rest of the country.

The steep mountains and many islands that epitomize the Tongass also make it one of the most expensive forests to log, and as a result, the Tongass timber program has been losing taxpayer money for decades. According to GAO calculations, industrial scale logging in the Tongass has cost the American taxpayer over $500 million since 1992. As taxpayers foot the bill for these logging projects, the private logging companies haul away old-growth trees at rock bottom prices.

What is left of the Tongass? After decades of targeting the forests’ biggest and best trees, the industry has clearcut over 70% of Southeast Alaska’s most valuable forests. For more information about the Tongass and the call in day, go to www.akrain.org.

The Villain: Timber Products Company

Timber Products Company (TPC), based in Oregon, is in negotiations to re-open a veneer mill in Ketchikan, Alaska that would require logging old growth, roadless areas in the Tongass to make veneer, a product used in making plywood.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, running the veneer mill profitably was contingent upon the removal of the Tongass from the Clinton era Roadless Rule. In preliminary negotiations, the Forest Service promised to work to provide a supply of trees from pristine roadless areas formerly protected by the Roadless Rule. This is the last stop! Remember, EVERY tree cut from the Tongass is still an old growth tree. Help stop them from becoming plywood!

Flood the Phone Lines!

You can defend the Tongass by calling TPC directly and urge them to withdraw from negotiations to re-open the Ketchikan veneer mill. If they stop negotiations, we’ll stop calling them!

Place your call anytime on Monday, March 29^th and Tuesday, March 30^th.

Call Timber Products Company at:

1-888-744-7861

1. Ask to speak to Joe Gonyea (chief operating officer).

2. Tell him (or the person who probably won’t let you talk to Joe) that TPC needs to stay out of the Tongass!

3. Tell them that you will not purchase any TPC products if they run the veneer mill in Ketchikan.

Get the Word Out!

Please pass this email to other organizations you know that would like to stop the Tongass from becoming plywood! We need to get as many people to call as possible. Call each day!

Finally, let us know that your organization sent this email out to its members. We would like to have a coalition of many groups working together and expand out support. Thank you for yours!

If you have any questions about the call in day or the campaign, please feel free to call.

Derek Brockbank
Field Organizer, Alaska Coalition of Michigan
Green Corps
Phone: (734) 662-6597
Fax: (734) 662-8393
derek@alaskacoalition.org