Alaska's Rainforests Fight Logging Threat

0:00What's up Anchorage? This is Anchorage News Today, bringing you the city's fastest updates on what is happening now. Alaska's coastal forest took a huge hit from the 20th-century timber industry, logging operations, including pulp mills that ship to Asia, wiped out hundreds of thousands of acres. They cut down more than half of the high-volume old-growth stands, some trees, 800 years old. Those sites are now toxic waste areas, a leftover from an era of unchecked development. Back then, industry ignored regulations and environmental concerns, pushing a frontier mindset that harmed wildlife and resources across the state. The destruction hurt salmon streams, animal habitats, tourism, local food sources, and coastal communities' way of life. It became a stark reminder of priorities that favored short-term gains over long-term health. Today, Alaska holds the world's largest intact coastal-temperor rainforest. After the timber boom faded, efforts have helped preserve what's left. But the Trump administration wants to open 9 million acres in Thomas National Forest to logging, road building, and mining.

1:05Alaskans and people nationwide are pushing back hard, determined to leave that destruction in the past. This episode is supported by our sponsor, C Details in the Description. Your pillow just got smarter. It plays your podcast and music. S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com.