Read the comments.

Please maintain protections for the 45 million acres of wild and roadless forests and don’t rescind or alter the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. These forests are full of mature and old-growth trees that provide important wildlife habitat. They’re our favorite places to hike, fish and camp. Wild forests should remain protected from road-building, commercial logging and mining. Industrial activity would destroy the trees and trails we love. Keep our national forests wild. Sincerely, Paul Eisenberg 6 Upland Rd Apt C Baltimore, MD 21210-2242 eisenber@iu.edu

Hello: I believe that the US Forest Service already understands how destructive it will be for the forests and the wildlife they support, especially migrating wildlife, if roads are allowed to be built inside our National Forests as they will lead to commercial logging and mining. Those reasons are NOT why we have the treasures of our National Forests. Please maintain protections for the 45 million acres of wild and roadless forests and don’t rescind or alter the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The National Forests belong to everyone in the Nation, not just our President or his Administration. Thank you for considering my viewpoint. Sincerely, Jim Clark 2001 Gracie Dr Finksburg, MD 21048-2120 jim.clark2009@comcast.net

Dear Director White and U.S. Forest Service Leadership, I am writing to express my strong opposition to the Department of Agriculture’s proposed rule to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (36 CFR Part 294, Subpart B). Removing these federal protections from 58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless areas (IRAs) across the National Forest System is an unnecessary step backward for wildlife conservation, fiscal responsibility, and public outdoor recreation. I urge the Forest Service to withdraw this proposed rescission based on the following critical points: 1. Forest Service Road Maintenance Infrastructure & Fiscal Reality The justification that eliminating roadless protections is needed to grant "management flexibility" ignores the fiscal and physical reality of the Forest Service’s existing road network. The National Forest System already contains roughly 371,000 miles of roads—an infrastructure network roughly eight times larger than the entire U.S. Interstate Highway System. The Agency currently faces a deferred road maintenance backlog exceeding $6 billion. Constructing new roads into remote backcountries creates long-term financial liabilities for maintenance that the Agency cannot afford, compounding existing budget shortfalls while opening undisturbed landscapes to fragmentation. 2. Wildfire Risk and Human-Caused Ignition The proposal cites changing landscape conditions and active management needs for wildfire mitigation. However, opening roadless areas to construction historically increases—rather than decreases—fire risk. Empirical studies demonstrate that approximately 80 percent of human-caused wildfires originate within a half-mile of a road. Expanding road networks into remote backcountry areas increases human access points, dramatically raising the likelihood of accidental ignitions in high-risk zones. 3. Economic Values of the Backcountry and Recreation Economy Outdoor recreation is a major driver of the national economy, accounting for over $1.3 trillion in economic output (roughly 2.4% of U.S. GDP). Hunting, fishing, and backcountry recreation contribute significantly to rural economies and generate over $107 billion in total economic output annually. High-quality hunting habitat for elk and big game, along with pristine cold-water headwaters for trout, depend directly on large, unfragmented blocks of security cover and roadless backcountry. Dismantling the 2001 Roadless Rule threatens the foundational natural assets that sustain this multi-billion-dollar economy. 4. Preservation of Public Process and Democratic Ownership National Forest System lands are held in trust for all Americans. The 2001 Roadless Rule remains one of the most thoroughly vetted public land policies in U.S. history, supported consistently by overwhelming public consensus. Moving to dismantle nationwide protections via administrative decree—without robust, local public hearing meetings held across affected communities—deprives hunters, anglers, recreators, and local stakeholders of a meaningful voice in the management of public lands. Conclusion A blanket national prohibition against road construction and commercial timber harvesting in inventoried roadless areas is essential for protecting drinking water headwaters, maintaining critical big-game habitat, and exercising fiscal prudence. Returning these decisions to individual forest-level plan revisions invites incremental fragmentation and litigation. I strongly request that the Forest Service cancel this rulemaking effort and maintain the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule in full. Furthermore, I ask that the Department schedule formal, in-person public comment hearings in communities adjacent to affected National Forest System lands before any final administrative determinations are made. Sincerely, Matthew Vigliotti Mount Airy, MD 21771

Sirs: I am contacting you to express my concern and opposition to the action taken on June 23, 2025 by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule. This action will lead to the exploitation and destruction roughly 45 million acres of national forest inventoried areas previously shielded from commercial logging, mining, and new road construction. Removing this Rule endangers wildlife habitats, increases human caused wildfire access near roads, and threatens drinking water watersheds fr over 60 million Americans. Please keep me informed about the status of any action taken to rescind this decision by Secretary Rollins. Thank you. Carl M. Gallegos 3374 Upland Court Adamstown, MD 21710

I strongly oppose the proposed repeal of the 2001 Roadless Rule. Our national forests are public lands, our shared birthright, and they should be protected for the benefit of everyone, not opened to greater roadbuilding and commercial logging. In West Virginia, the Roadless Rule safeguards treasured places like Roaring Plains, Seneca Creek, Cheat Mountain, Canaan Mountain and Tea Creek, while protecting important buffers around Dolly Sods, Otter Creek and Cranberry. These wild, unfragmented landscapes provide clean water, wildlife habitat and irreplaceable opportunities for outdoor recreation. Once they are lost, we cannot easily restore them. Please preserve the Roadless Rule and protect our shared public lands for future generations. I am adamantly opposed to removing the Roadless Rule and support it' in it's current state. There is no reason to remove it. Sincerely, stephen jones 3621 Carswell Pl Jefferson, MD 21755-8223 jonesst195@gmail.com

PLEASE do not repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule. These areas belong to future generations; they are not ours to destroy. Our national forests are public lands, our shared birthright, and they should be protected for the benefit of everyone, not opened to greater roadbuilding and commercial logging. In West Virginia, the Roadless Rule safeguards treasured places like Roaring Plains, Seneca Creek, Cheat Mountain, Canaan Mountain and Tea Creek, while protecting important buffers around Dolly Sods, Otter Creek and Cranberry. These wild, unfragmented landscapes provide clean water, wildlife habitat and irreplaceable opportunities for outdoor recreation. Once they are lost, we cannot easily restore them. Please preserve the Roadless Rule and protect our shared public lands for future generations. Sincerely, Liz McDowell 90 Moonridge Ln Grantsville, MD 21536-2164 lmcd.mnps@gmail.com

As a US citizen, a landscape architect who specialized in environmental planning for more than 30 years, including controlled burns to manage and protect rare forest and plant communities, I strongly oppose the proposed plan to build new roads on federal forested lands to allow timber harvesting. Not only will this adversely impact Forest Interior Dwelling species, but the new roads will not provide an efficient nor an effective firebreak as experts have documented. Apart from the impacts to plant and animal species, there is the threat of harm to all Americans in the oxygen produced by these forests and the climate buffer to excessive warming and extreme weather swings that we are just beginning to experience. I strongly urge the Forest Service to abandon this proposed plan for the health and well being of all species in America and the world. Sincerely, Colin A. MacLachlan 10357 Whitewasher Way Columbia, MD 21044

Dear U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, As a retired federal biologist i’m writing to urge you to choose Alternative 1 and keep the 2001 Roadless Rule intact. For 25 years, the rule has safeguarded nearly 45 million acres of backcountry across U.S. national forests. These roadless areas provide numerous benefits to the American public, from clean air and water to vital wildlife habitat and diverse recreation opportunities — all while still allowing responsible forest management. Rescinding or altering this rule puts these lands at risk by opening the door to logging, oil-and-gas drilling, and other development. It will also fragment habitat, introduce invasive species, increase wildfire risk, and bring noise and light pollution. At a minimum, I insist that you extend this comment period to at least 90 days and hold hearings across the U.S. in all areas affected, so the public can fully weigh in. This proposal does not have my support. I urge you to choose no-action and uphold the Roadless Rule. Sincerely, Mike Carpenter 5130 Nanticoke Way Huntingtown, MD 20639-3009 michael_l_carpenter@outlook.com

I strongly oppose the proposed repeal of the 2001 Roadless Rule. Our national forests are public lands, our shared birthright, and they should be protected for the benefit of everyone, not opened to greater roadbuilding and commercial logging. In West Virginia, the Roadless Rule safeguards treasured places like Roaring Plains, Seneca Creek, Cheat Mountain, Canaan Mountain and Tea Creek, while protecting important buffers around Dolly Sods, Otter Creek and Cranberry. These wild, unfragmented landscapes provide clean water, wildlife habitat and irreplaceable opportunities for outdoor recreation. Once they are lost, we cannot easily restore them. Please preserve the Roadless Rule and protect our shared public lands for future generations. Sincerely, Rich Skeweris 593 Kempton Rd Oakland, MD 21550 rskeweris@gmail.com