National Audubon and its Alaska chapters participate in the Alaska Rainforest Campaign, a coalition of national and Alaskan conservation groups that work to protect the remaining wildlands of the Tongass and Chugach National Forests from clearcutting and other harmful development. Alaska has both the largest stretches of virgin unbroken forests in the United States and some of the most aggressive attackers of those forests. All the Alaskan Members of Congress are vigorous supporters of more logging, more logging roads and more logging subsidies, and much of the Alaskan population is not sympathetic to calls for more federal protection of lands.

Contact:
John Schoen
Alaska State Office
308 G Street, Suite 217
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 276-5069
email: jschoen@audubon.org

The northern Great Lakes region was once covered by vast tracks of unbroken forests famous for White Pines over 200 feet tall. Almost none of these huge trees remain, and the forests that they grew out of have long since been logged. Similar to other parts of the eastern U.S., however, the trees have grown back to where they are once again commercially viable, sparking renewed interest by timber companies. In spite of resurgent logging, expanding cities, and epidemic vacation homes, the northern Great Lakes region has more remote forests than many other parts of the country. Encouraging signs of healthy ecosystems can be found, such as the spread of wolves from northern Minnesota into northern Wisconsin and northern Maine. Audubon hopes to play a more coordinated and active role in the protection of these wild forests in the near future. Minnesota Audubon is currently taking the lead on this issue.

Beginning in the late 1980s, the Pacific Northwest Ancient Forest Campaign dedicated itself to preserving the 3.1 million acres of ancient forest in northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Decades of excessive logging left intact only 10% of the original old growth forest, some of the most biologically rich land in the world. President Clinton's Northwest Forest Plan provides only temporary protection to this ecosystem and its dependent species. A Congress beholden to timber interests, growing discontent with government regulation, and a stagnant rural economy threaten the plan. Already we have seen the passage of the timber salvage rider, a 1995 law exempting timber companies in the region from environmental laws.

Audubon assists grassroots participation in the region and uses electronic communication to distribute news to citizens and to enable grassroots activists to share information, advocacy tools, and success stories. National Audubon and some northwest chapters recently participated in the Forest Water Alliance, 21 forest and watershed protection groups that worked to permanently protect ancient forests, salmon habitat, drinking water supplies, and unprotected wilderness in the Pacific Northwest by approaching these issues on a watershed basis. Forest Water Alliance published a report on the continuing degradation of ancient forest ecosystems under the Northwest Forest Plan.

Contact:
Washington State Audubon Society
PO Box 462
Olympia, WA 98507
(360) 786-8020
(360) 786-5054 (fax)

The Great Northern Forest extends from Maine's North Woods, across New Hampshire's North Country and Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, to New York's Adirondacks and the Tug Hill region. At 26 million acres, it is the largest continuous forest east of the Mississippi. The Northern Forest provides critical habitat for diverse wildlife species, including breeding areas for over 100 migratory birds.

Unsustainable logging and development currently threatens this ecosystem. Audubon has stated that in order to survive the Great Northern Forest needs a system of wildland reserves, incentives to ensure sustainable forestry, and programs that promote local economies.

To protect the wildlife habitat and create recreational opportunities, Audubon has proposed the creation of large and protected public wildlands. A proposed partnership of federal and state agencies would purchase land from private landowners for the creation of ten wildland areas. Unlike the West, most of the Great Northern Forest is privately owned.

Since the majority of the Northern Forest will remain in private hands, Audubon has advocated the creation of a federal and regional program to promote sustainable forestry practices. This program would establish guidelines for cut rotations and would be coupled with economic incentives for landowners. The goal of Audubon's proposal is to create a resource economy based on sustainable principles that benefits local communities and the wildlife of the Northern Forest.

Audubon's Northern Forest effort has state-based components. Audubon activists are leading the way to protect the habitat of black bears and migratory songbirds by preventing logging in this wilderness area through appeals and litigation. Audubon's state field offices, councils, and chapters are working hard for the future of the Great Northern Forest through education and advocacy efforts.

Contact:
Dave Miller
Executive Director
NAS New York State
200 Trilliun Lane
Abany, NY 12203
(518) 869-9731
email: mailto:dmiller@audubon.org

The southeastern United States has some of the fastest growing forests in the world. Commercial trees grow fast, and are cut down just as quickly. Largely in response to overcutting in the Northwest, many timber companies are expanding their operations in the Southeast as well as other places including the northern U.S. and South America. In addition to capitalizing on the prime tree-growing environment, these companies hope to take advantage of lenient forest laws and enforcement and an apathetic public.

While the laws are very lax and poorly enforced, timber companies are running into strong resistance from local citizens who do not want their lush forests indiscriminately mowed down once again. Southeastern Audubon members are organizing against a major expansion of industrial clearcutting in their part of the country. They are focusing in part on the new industry tool of choice, the industrial tree chipping mill, which has become so efficient that it promotes clearcutting of pine and hardwood forests at an unprecedented pace. Some Audubon groups also participate in the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, which works to improve management of the National Forests which stretch from Virginia to Georgia.

The Southwest Forest Alliance is a coalition of 56 environmental groups from Arizona and New Mexico that is working for a regional level policy reform, regional litigation, forest plan revision, and forest restoration research. The work of the Alliance is focused on starting to turn back the clock on over a century of overgrazing, old-growth liquidation, mining, fire suppression, road building, and predator control that have had a dramatic impact upon the wildlife and wildlands of the Southwest. With six representative chapters, Audubon is a substantial partner in this coalition.

Starting in 1997 the Alliance joined with the Forest Service, the Rocky Mountain Research Station and Northern Arizona University to design, implement and research forest ecosystem restoration projects. The primary goal of this work is the eventual restoration of native biological diversity. Projects are designed to restore forest ecosystems and emulate structures, spatial distributions, and processes which naturally occurred prior to livestock grazing, logging, and fire suppression.

The Alliance has used the well-tested strategies of appeals and litigation to improve forest management, and is developing sustainable management plans based on sound science and public input. The Alliance also aims to help local communities become self-sustaining and less dependent on resource exploitation.

Contact:
Dave Henderson
New Mexico State Office
Randall Davey Audubon Center
PO Box 9314
Santa Fe, NM 87504
(505) 983-4609
email: dhenderson@audubon.org

or
Southwest Forest Alliance
PO Box 1948
Flagstaff, AZ 86002
(520) 774-6514
email: swfa@igc.apc.org