Trees older than America: a primeval Alaskan forest is at risk in the Trump era

Tongass is the world's largest intact temperate rainforest, with trees more than 1,000 years old. But a pro-logging effort could uproot them At south-east Alaska's last industrial-scale sawmill, wheel loaders stack debarked logs two storeys high on the frozen ground. A bumper sticker on a battered Ford in the parking lot reads "Cut Kill Dig Drill", a mantra that many in the 49th state appreciate repeating. Viking Lumber Company employs 34 people and sustains itself primarily on old growth trees harvested from the Tongass, the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. Many of them have been around longer than the United States - some for 1,000 years. Continue reading...