Preliminary draft plan content is now available on the Tongass Forest Plan Revision website, and the public comment period is open through May 6, 2026. Community meetings are taking place throughout April, where the Forest Service is collecting feedback through survey forms. SSP and regional partners, including JEDC and Southeast Conference, are also offering online versions of these forms so people can participate if they cannot attend a meeting in person or need more time to finish. Use the buttons below to provide feedback online on preliminary draft plan content and draft management areas. You can also find a meeting near you or watch the virtual workshop recording.

The Tongass Forest Plan Revision is the process of updating the long-range blueprint that guides how the forest is managed for roughly the next 15 years, including the desired conditions, standards, and guidelines that shape future decisions across habitat, timber, recreation, watersheds, and community use. It matters because the current Tongass plan dates back to 1997, and the revised plan will help steer how the forest responds to today’s ecological, social, and economic realities. As of March 26, 2026, the revision is in the stage where the Forest Service is working through preliminary need-for-change and proposed-plan development.

These community-hosted feedback forms give people another way to respond to preliminary Tongass Forest Plan Revision materials in a guided, question-by-question format. They closely track the kinds of forms being used during the U.S. Forest Service’s April community meetings and are intended to help people work through the draft materials more carefully and completely.

These are not official U.S. Forest Service forms. They are being shared by partner organizations, including SSP, to widen access and make it easier for more people to participate in this stage of the revision. They are especially useful for people who cannot attend a meeting in person, as well as for people who attend but do not have enough time to get through all of the questions during a single meeting. Hosting these forms does not mean SSP endorses the draft content shown in them. The purpose is simply to support broader public participation.

The available forms focus on two main topics: draft plan content and the draft management area map. Together, they give people a structured way to respond to the overall direction being considered for the Tongass, as well as to the map-based management framework that would help guide place-based decisions across the forest.

Responses submitted through these community-hosted forms will be compiled and shared with the U.S. Forest Service so they can help inform this stage of the revision process. People who want to make sure their views are also submitted directly through the federal process should consider commenting through the Forest Service’s official public comment system as well.

Working through these forms may be easier with help from people who are familiar with the Tongass Plan Revision process. If you would like that kind of support, please reach out to members of our regional network who are volunteering to help people review the materials and complete the forms. Click here to Contact Bob and set up an appointment to work through the form with his support.

For people who want to dig deeper, SSP Regional Community Forest Catalyst Bob Christensen has also assembled a Community Alternative example. The example gives readers a chance to explore what a more community-centered forest plan could look like across topics such as subsistence, recreation, tourism, timber, restoration, access, shared-stewardship and management areas. Reviewing that material may help people sharpen their own comments on the draft plan and map.