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WASHINGTON — A proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fully rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule is being hailed by forestry advocates, local land managers, and rural community leaders as a necessary and long-overdue reform to protect public lands from catastrophic wildfires.
Supporters contend that the 25-year-old policy—which restricted road construction and commercial logging across nearly 45 million acres of national forest—created rigid, one-size-fits-all barriers that prevented active forest management. Federal data show that over 40% of protected roadless areas face high or very high wildfire risk, yet fewer than 5% have received hazardous fuels reduction treatments over the past decade. Advocates argue that restoring access allows forest managers to thin overgrown stands, conduct prescribed burns, and safely deploy firefighting crews.
“The Forest Service is right to take a hard look at a policy that was written for forest conditions that looked very different 25 years ago,” said Travis Joseph, President of the American Forest Resource Council, whose members primarily consist of:
- Forest product manufacturers (lumber, plywood, paper, and chip producers)
- Logging contractors and timberland owners
- Associated businesses supporting the timber sector, including equipment suppliers, law firms, and forestry consultants
Stated “Our national forests are experiencing severe wildfire, drought, insects, and disease on a scale that few anticipated... Calling an area roadless does not protect it from wildfire. Healthy forests require management, and effective management requires access.”
Proponents emphasize that rescinding the federal blanket rule will not trigger widespread logging but rather return decision-making power to local foresters, who will work alongside nearby communities, states, and tribes to tailor stewardship directly to local ecosystem needs.
The move threatens to roll back a bedrock policy that has restricted road building and commercial logging across nearly 45 million acres of undeveloped backcountry forests for more than two decades.
Proponents of the rescission argue that lifting the blanket regulations will give local land managers greater flexibility to actively manage public forests. Pro-industry groups and officials supporting the change contend that allowing controlled access can help reduce wildfire risks through forest thinning, improve local economies through sustainable resource extraction, and grant surrounding communities better access to public lands.
However, conservation groups warned that removing the protections could cause irreversible harm to fragile ecosystems.
“The Roadless Rule was hands-down one of the Forest Service’s best ideas — rescinding it is without question one of its worst,” said Vera Smith, Director of the National Forests and Public Lands Program at Defenders of Wildlife. “These natural landscapes are essential to wildlife, providing crucial habitat for hundreds of at-risk species. They also contain much of the best coldwater fish habitat left in the nation. The rule is a key reason why our national forests continue to serve as vital habitats for our wildlife. Losing it would be a major loss for all the species that call these areas home.”
The proposed rule is expected to draw significant public commentary and legal challenges from environmental organizations as the formal rulemaking process moves forward.
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