Overview

• The Trump administration announced on June 23 that it will rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, which has barred road construction and logging on about 59 million acres of national forest land.
• The administration argues that the change will give local forest managers greater flexibility to reduce wildfire risk and boost timber production.
• The rescission aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order 14192 on deregulation and is part of a broader effort to remove regulatory barriers for economic development in rural communities.
• Environmental groups including The Wilderness Society and Sierra Club have condemned the move as harmful to wildlife habitats, water quality, and fire buffers, and say they will challenge it in court.
• States like Idaho and Colorado maintain roadless-area rules that supersede the federal rule, potentially limiting the rescission’s impact in those regions.