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I stand in opposition to the proposed Rescission of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. This Rule was adopted after over 1.6 million comments, 95 % of which were in favor of the Rule. Obviously opening up these lands to road building and logging will be a boon to the timber industry. However the cost to the American people, and to future generations will be staggering. First of all, the premise that thinning forests prevents catastrophic wildfires is false. Thinning opens forests to wind and sun, which makes them hotter, dryer, and more flammable. Wind provides fires with oxygen, and spreads them more quickly. I have first hand experience with this, having personally surveyed the aftermath of the Hayman fire in Colorado. There I saw areas that had been thinned that were completely scorched. Meanwhile, adjacent areas of private land, that were very dense, and obviously had not been thinned, were untouched by the fire! This was not coincidental. The fire stopped exactly at the border of the land that had not been thinned. Studies show that fires are four times as likely to start in areas with roads as they are in roadless areas, and that over 90% of fires start within half a mile of a road. Roads open up areas to people who may start fires, and to invasive species that harm ecosystems in many ways, not the least of which is that many invasive plants are more flammable than the native species, that have evolved with the forest. It is also worth pointing out that the forest surrounding the town of Paradise California, that was destroyed by fire, was largely National Forest, that had been managed by extensive thinning and clear cutting. The truth is that the force behind the dramatic increase in catastrophic fires, both here and around the world is climate change. Climate change makes droughts hotter, longer and more severe. Until we have addressed that, both floods and fires will continue to get worse. Roadless Areas provide vital corridors between big, designated wilderness areas. They protect vital watersheds, that provide drinking water to a large portion of the American people, as well as providing for wildlife. They are home to myriad species, some of which are endangered, and many of which would become endangered without them. Further, intact forests provide far more jobs in tourism, than in logging. I realize that the Timber Barons are licking their chops at the thought of all the money to be had by carving up the Tongass. But you have a moral obligation to consider other values than money. The Tongass National Forest is the largest remaining Old Growth Temperate Rainforest in the world. It is home to unique wildlife, including Brown bears, Salmon and Bald Eagles, whos interdependence serves the rest of the forest, and all who live there. It is unique, pristine and beautiful, and once gone, it will not return. The Forest Service often looses money, and the main reason for that is road building and maintenance. In the National Forest there are 380,000 miles of roads, many of which are in very bad condition and are causing severe erosion, which is very detrimental to streams and fish that need clear water to survive. I urge you to Keep the Roadless Rule and protect our forests. David Head, 225 Horsham Rd. Hatboro, PA 19040nbtdlh@verizon.net