ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Trump administration is proceeding with plans to repeal a decades-old rule that limits road-building, commercial logging and other development on millions of acres of U.S. national forests.
The U.S. Forest Service is preparing a proposal to repeal the so-called Roadless Area Conservation Rule, adopted in the waning days of the Clinton administration in 2001. The regulation has hamstrung local forest managers’ ability to cut wildfire threats and improve forest health, say agriculture officials.
US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins warned that overgrown vegetation, insect outbreaks and disease can lead to devastating wildfires saying forests are facing more dangerous conditions.
Rule applies to millions of acres
The roadless rule was originally established to protect roadless areas of the national forests from commercial logging, road-building and mineral leasing.
Today, the rule encompasses roughly 59 million acres, or approximately 30% of the country’s national forest lands, the US Department of Agriculture says.
The administration says removing the national designation would give individual forest managers more flexibility in how their lands should be managed.
Yet officials have stressed that the repeal of the rule would not instantly set the stage for logging or road building. Instead, decisions would be left to the existing forest management processes.
The Forest Service will now accept public comment on the proposal and a draft environmental impact statement filed with the Federal Register.
Environmental groups warn of wider implications
Environmental groups have fought the proposed repeal fiercely, saying the loss of protections could put more pressure on old-growth forests and threaten wildlife habitat and water supplies.
Critics also question the administration’s claim that the roadless rule is a significant barrier to wildfire mitigation.
The Sierra Club has said the Forest Service already has the authority to do targeted projects to reduce wildfire fuels and that expanding road networks could create additional environmental risks.
Environmental groups said they will try to challenge the proposal through the regulatory process.
Focus on Alaska’s Tongass National Forest
The proposed repeal could have serious consequences for Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the nation’s largest national forest and a contested terrain for decades in battles over logging and development.
Alaska political leaders have previously supported exemptions from the roadless rule, arguing that the restrictions have hampered economic opportunities in the state.
During Trump’s first term, protections for the Tongass were temporarily lifted, allowing for more logging and road building. The Biden administration later reinstated the restrictions.
Conservation groups say the Tongass provides crucial habitat for salmon and other wildlife while supporting industries including fishing, tourism and outdoor recreation.
Wildfire Management Discussion
The administration’s proposal comes as the causes and management of wildfires in the United States grow more severe, with the debate about each still ongoing.
Scientists have blamed a combination of climate change, warmer and drier forests, decades of fire suppression and accumulated vegetation and fuels for worsening wildfire conditions.
Supporters of the repeal say that giving forest managers more flexibility could help address these conditions through targeted forest management.
Critics say without such broad protections, commercial development may be encouraged, but not necessarily wildfire resilience.
The public consultation process will shape the next phase of the proposal, with environmental groups gearing up to fight any move that they feel could weaken protections for the country’s remaining roadless forests.
