The U.S. Forest Service has embarked on a yearlong process to update its Tongass management plan to strive for a balance between different uses of the national forest.

In addition to accepting written comments, the agency scheduled public meetings throughout Southeast Alaska, with the Wrangell session set for 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, at the Nolan Center.

The Wrangell meeting is about two-thirds of the way through the five-week schedule for almost 20 public meetings around Southeast.

It’s been a decade since the agency last updated its management plan for the Tongass National Forest, which is the largest in the country.

Forest Service officials at the meetings will review a preliminary draft plan, which officials said is far from complete. The agency expects to issue a final draft plan and accompanying environmental impact statement, which would lead to more public comments and adoption of a revised management plan next year.

In embarking on the revised plan, the agency said it identified several “overarching” management directions that need change from the 2016 revision, including “prioritize local and regional prosperity of Southeast Alaska by contributing to timber, minerals, tourism, recreation and other important economic drivers.”

In public feedback to date, people have expressed a substantial interest in balancing recreation use for tourists and locals, Delilah Brigham, a planning officer for the Tongass, said in a presentation in Ketchikan on April 1. She said the current plan doesn’t touch on tourism much, according to reporting by radio station KRBD in Ketchikan.

“In order for us to make sure that we are providing the lifestyle and recreational opportunities that they want from their public land, we have to have that feedback from the public in order to incorporate it into a plan revision,” Brigham said.

The public comment period opened mid-February. Brigham said the comments so far emphasize the importance of recreational opportunities, sustainable timber management and protection of existing ecosystems, KRBD reported.

In addition to tourism and recreational uses, timber is part of the plan.

“The Tongass National Forest also contains large old-growth trees, which are highly valued for specialty wood products in addition to their social, ecological and spiritual values, and younger timber stands that together can support a sustainable timber sector that contributes to rural economies and culture,” according to the introduction to the preliminary draft plan.