Tongass National Forest

American  

[tong-guhs nash-uh-nl fawr-ist, for-, nash-nuhl] / ˈtɒŋ gəs ˈnæʃ ə nl ˈfɔr ɪst, ˈfɒr-, ˈnæʃ nəl /

noun

1. a temperate rainforest in southeastern Alaska that also harbors more than two dozen communities, including Juneau: largest U.S. national forest. 16.7 million acres (6.8 million hectares; 26,100 square miles; 68,000 square kilometers).

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Etymology

Origin of Tongass National Forest

First recorded in 1905–10; probably from Tsimshian Tamgas, the Tsimshian name for the Taanta Kwáan or Taant'a Ḵwáan “Sea Lion People,” a Tlingit people who lived near Ketchikan in southeastern Alaska

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Tongass National Forest

The 2.5-hour tour took us out along the Tongass National Forest, with heated indoor seating we enjoyed while en route, before hopping outside to get a closer look.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2025

Joel Jackson, the president of the Organized Village of Kake, a tribal community, has lived within the Tongass National Forest in Alaska his entire life.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2023

It comes a day after the administration took action to protect Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, and as it faces other decisions on hotly fought over sites in Alaska and Nevada.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2023

While Tongass National Forest represents about 9 percent of the entire lands in the national forest system, it has about 16 percent of forest areas that are roadless.

From New York Times ● Jan. 25, 2023

Practically all the timber in that section is controlled by the Government and is within the Tongass National Forest.

From The School Book of Forestry by Pack, Charles Lathrop