Roadless, Wild, and Worth Fighting For

Hannah Smay

The Dark Divide is the largest
Roadless Area in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the second
largest in western Washington. It is a stunning area
with sweeping vistas of the Cascade Mountains from ten peaks rising
above 5,000 feet. At lower elevations, old-growth forests that survived
the rampant clearcutting era in the Pacific Northwest continue as they
have for hundreds of years, a reminder of what is at stake if the
Roadless Rule is repealed.

In fact, before the Dark Divide was
protected by the Roadless Rule, the Forest Service indicated that the
“large old-growth Douglas-fir stands” in parts of the Roadless Area
“contain high timber volume, and are coveted by the timber industry.”

Dark Divide Roadless Area, Gifford Pinchot National Forest. (Photo by Ryan Talbott)

Repealing the Roadless Rule would
immediately open the Dark Divide Roadless Area to road construction and
logging, threatening one of the largest remaining old-growth forests
left in southwest Washington. And with the Trump administration’s push
to increase logging on national forests, you can be sure that this
Roadless Area will be on the chopping block.

Click here to explore America’s Roadless Areas.