It is about one of the largest pieces of intact temperate rainforest that can still be found on Earth. According to the Washington Post, US President Donald Trump has ordered his Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to exclude 9.5 million acres (about 3.8 million hectares) in the Tongass National Forest from deforestation. The newspaper reports, citing a presidential conversation with Alaska's Governor Mike Dunleavy aboard Air Force One.
The decision is not confirmed yet. Recently, however, there have been repeated attempts to free virgin nature in many parts of Alaska for commercial exploitation. In addition to the deforestation of old tree populations, the repeal of the almost 20-year-old protection regulations could also open up the natural paradise for mining and energy projects.
The area is a retreat for many species and attracts many tourists with its spectacular landscapes. According to the Washington Post, the tourism sector in southeastern Alaska provides around 17 percent of jobs.
Nicholas Kamm / AFP
Donald Trump with wife Melania in France: Apparently plans for forests in Alaska
Shortly before his office, the then President Bill Clinton in 2001 had still imposed extensive protective measures. Among other things, the regulations prohibit the construction of roads in 58.5 million acres (nearly 24 million hectares) National Forest in Alaska. Republican politicians have repeatedly tried to undermine these provisions. So far, however, they were in court.
The new impetus falls into a phase in which devastating fires rage in the South American rainforest - and in Siberia's forest areas, there are also considerable damage caused by fire.
Massive damage to forest areas in the north and south
In Brazil, the heaviest forest fires have been raging for years. Since January, the number of fire and slash-and-burn operations in the largest country in South America has risen by 80 percent to more than 82,000 fires compared to the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the Brazilian space agency INPE.
Wolfgang Kaehler / LightRocket via Getty Images
Tongass National Forest, Alaska
Many fires were apparently laid by farmers on deforested land to create new pasture land and arable land for soybean cultivation. Because it is currently very dry, the fires also attack on intact forest areas.
In Russia, fires raged in remote regions south of the Arctic Circle. At the end of July, there were 162 fires in an area of almost 150,000 hectares. The region most affected is the Irkutsk region on Lake Baikal. In most cases, there is no threat to cities and settlements, the authorities said.
Researchers expect Arctic fires to continue to increase as a result of climate change. June was the warmest in many regions of the world since weather records began.
Note: In an earlier version, acreage was hectares, in fact Acre. We have adjusted the appropriate places.