Question 1

True or false: The Tongass has no roads connecting it to the rest of North America.

Accepted Answer

True. No highways link the forest to Canada or the lower 48; access is only by boat or plane.

Question 2

True or false: Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States.

Accepted Answer

True. At 16.7 million acres, it is the largest U.S. national forest, mostly within Alaska's Inside Passage.

Question 3

True or false: The Tongass contains a rare temperate rainforest, not a boreal forest.

Accepted Answer

True. It's one of the world's largest intact temperate rainforests, with massive old-growth Sitka spruce and hemlock.

Question 4

True or false: Glaciers in the Tongass are growing due to increased snowfall from climate change.

Accepted Answer

False. Most glaciers in the Tongass, like the Juneau Icefield, are rapidly retreating due to warming temperatures.

Question 5

True or false: No wolves live in the Tongass because the islands are too isolated.

Accepted Answer

False. The Alexander Archipelago wolf thrives here, uniquely adapted to the dense rainforest and island habitats.

Question 6

True or false: Most of the Tongass is protected as wilderness and off-limits to logging.

Accepted Answer

False. Only about 40% is designated wilderness; significant areas are open to selective or clear-cut logging.

Question 7

True or false: The forest is home to the world's largest concentration of bald eagles.

Accepted Answer

True. The Tongass hosts thousands of bald eagles, especially along the Chilkat River, with densities unmatched elsewhere.

Question 8

True or false: The Tongass was named after a Tlingit word for 'wild island.'

Accepted Answer

False. It's named after the Tongass Tlingit people, not a word—'Tongass' likely means 'place of the sea lion.'

Tongass National Forest Trivia Questions