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USDA Rescinds 2001 Roadless Rule, Opens 59 Million Acres to Logging and Roads

Administration officials say it empowers local managers to reduce wildfire risk through targeted road construction complemented by timber harvest

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

  • USDA rescinded the 2001 Roadless Rule on June 23, ending restrictions on road construction, reconstruction and timber harvest across nearly 59 million acres of national forest lands.
  • The original rule applied to about 30% of National Forest System areas, including 60% of Utah forests, 58% in Montana and 92% of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.
  • Officials say the change aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order 14192 on deregulation and will enable targeted road building in high-risk zones to mitigate wildfire threats.
  • Conservation groups such as The Wilderness Society warn that expanded logging and new roads will harm watersheds, threaten wildlife habitats and exacerbate climate impacts.
  • Several hundred protesters chanted “Not For Sale” outside the Western Governors’ Association meeting in Santa Fe to voice opposition as governors and industry leaders debated the policy shift.