A US federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit brought by three Alaskan timber operators seeking to force increased old-growth harvesting in the Tongass National Forest — ruling the groups had no valid legal claim. The decision, made by US District Judge Sharon L. Gleason, ruled in favour of the US Department of Agriculture and the US Forest Service, and comes at a time when the White House has moved to expand Tongass logging, yet it was Trump’s own Justice Department that argued against the industry’s push in court and won.
The case centred on the Alaska Forest Association, Viking Lumber Company and Alcan Timber Incorporated, who collectively argued that the shrinking Southeast Alaska industry needed guaranteed access to additional old-growth supply to remain viable — and that the federal government was legally obliged to provide it.
At the heart of the claim was the USDA’s 2021 “Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy,” which pledged to end large-scale old-growth timber sales on the Tongass. The plaintiffs argued the policy change required formal public comment, that it violated the Forest Service’s own 2016 management plan — which projected annual timber offers of around 46 million board feet — and that both plans fell foul of the 1990 Tongass Timber Reform Act by failing to meet market demand.
Judge Gleason, however, rejected all three counts. The 2021 strategy was a continuation of the 2016 plan, she found, not a new rule — so no fresh rulemaking was required. The 2016 plan’s volume projections were aspirational objectives, not binding commitments enforceable by a court. And whilst the Forest Service was required to weigh market demand in its planning, the government retains broad discretion over how much timber it ultimately offers.
The dismissal was with prejudice. The plaintiffs cannot refile.
“For families like mine, this case was about whether the federal government would keep the promises it made to the communities that depend on the Tongass,” said Sarah Dahlstrom, director of communications for Viking Lumber. “When the Forest Service withholds the timber supply it committed to provide, it’s not just paperwork — it puts our mill, our employees, and our entire community at risk.”
Environmental intervenors welcomed the outcome. “This ruling is a big victory for the Tongass’ old-growth forests,” said Marlee Goska, Alaska attorney at the Centre for Biological Diversity. “This lawsuit had no legal basis, and the court was right to dismiss the case outright.”
Wood Central understands that the US Forest Service has not met its annual timber sale target in Alaska since at least 2014. Between 2020 and 2023, it offered a combined 14 million board feet — against an agency-estimated annual market demand of 41 to 76 million board feet. As a result, a sector that once employed 4,000 workers across Southeast Alaska now supports fewer than 300.
The Tongass spans 17 million acres across the Alaska Panhandle and is the largest national forest in the United States. With a revised management plan not expected until 2028, the gap between what the industry needs and what the government will provide shows no sign of closing.
