Today we will take an in depth look at the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska, which has been called the “crown jewel” of Americas forests. The largest of US national forests, it consists of one third of the world’s coastal temperate rainforest ecosystem, which only occurs in three percent of Earths landmass. The Tongass has already had nearly half of its very large old growth trees cut down due to a process known as high-grading—where loggers remove the oldest and largest trees from the forest. These trees are often essential to the ecosystem, simply because they are so large and provide vital habitats for woodland creatures.