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3w ago

Trump Administration to Rescind Roadless Rule Protecting 59 Million Acres of National Forests

Administration officials argue that revoking the rule will enhance local forest management, reducing wildfire risk.

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FILE - Wrangler Doug Washburn, of Crested Butte, Colo. overlooks aspen trees with their autumn colors, near Jacks Cabin in the Slate River Valley near Crested Butte, Colo. while gathering the Spann cattle from the U.S. National Forest lands, Oct. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Nathan Bilow, File)
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Overview

  • Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced at a Western Governors’ Association meeting that the USDA will initiate a formal rulemaking process to repeal the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
  • The existing rule bars road construction and timber harvesting on about 30 percent of National Forest System lands, including 92 percent of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest and large tracts in Utah and Montana.
  • USDA leaders say lifting the restrictions will allow forest supervisors to build roads for fire prevention and expand responsible timber production in areas deemed high-risk.
  • Environmental groups contend the rollback will fragment habitats, accelerate logging and worsen wildfire severity, and they have pledged to file legal challenges to block the repeal.
  • The move supports President Trump’s broader deregulation and timber-production goals as states with their own roadless regulations assess how the change will apply and courts prepare to weigh in.