Overview
- The USDA filed a proposal on August 18, 2026, to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule and opened a 30-day public comment period that closes on September 21, 2026.
- The agency and Secretary Brooke Rollins say the move would return decisions on roadbuilding and timber harvest to local forest managers to allow more fuel-reduction and wildfire treatments.
- The filing does not itself authorize road construction or logging because any project would still require separate forest-level planning and approvals under existing rules.
- Conservation and recreation groups have mobilized public events and comment drives and warn repeal could threaten roughly 58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless lands, tens of thousands of miles of trails, climbing routes and drinking-water sources.
- Supporters in states such as Montana praise greater local control while critics point to research and local experts who say more roads can raise human-caused fire starts and fragment wildlife habitat, and legal challenges are likely if the rule is finalized.