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Located along the southern coast of Alaska, nestled between the Pacific Ocean and Canada, Tongass is the largest national forest in the United States, covering an area of 69,000 square kilometers.2However, 40% of Tongass's area consists of swamps, ice, rocks, and non-forested zones, covering only about 40,000 square kilometers.2It is a forest, home to many rare and endangered species of plants and animals.
National Geographic describes Tongass as an exceptionally rich ecosystem, containing more biomass per unit area than any other forest, including rainforests.
Absorbing approximately 8% of the total carbon absorbed by U.S. forests each year, Tongass National Forest is one of the most important remaining temperate rainforests in the world, and the largest intact coastal temperate rainforest in the world today. Many trees in the forest are estimated to be over 800-1,000 years old.
Tongass is also home to over 75,000 indigenous people belonging to 31 different ethnic communities. The forest is named after the Tongass group of the Tlingit tribe.
