Roadless.org — Defend the Roadless Rule

Back to Values at Stake

These are the facts that explain what’s at stake. Open any card to read the full evidence.

ESSENTIAL FACTS

11 facts · click any to read in full

What's at Stake

Essential fact

58 million acres of roadless forests protected by 2001 Roadless Rule - about 1/3

of all national forest land

Recreation Spots at Risk

Essential fact

Since 2001, protected roadless areas have offered abundant outdoor recreation

opportunities such as hunting, fishing, camping or other activities. Every year,

millions of people take advantage of the free (or extremely affordable) access

More Roads Means More Wildfires

Essential fact

Aplet et al. (Fire Ecology 2026) analyzed 32 years of contiguous-US wildfire

data and found ignition density was 7.99 fires/1,000 ha within 50m of roads vs.

1.97 in inventoried roadless areas - a fourfold difference

Vital Habitat for Imperiled Species

Essential fact

The lands in question include lower-elevation forests, wetlands, canyons and

other undeveloped lands that are critical to our nation's ecological health.

Because they are not fragmented by roads, these Roadless Areas provide habitat

Rollback Paves the Way for Logging

Essential fact

The Federal Register Notice for the rescission states the goal is to facilitate

domestic production of "timber, energy and mineral production... to the maximum

possible extent" — advanced under EOs 14192, 14225, and 14154

The Wildfire Justification Falls Apart

Essential fact

Forest Service Chief Schultz testified that 24.5 million acres of inventoried

roadless areas are near the Wildland-Urban Interface; The Wilderness Society's

GIS analysis using the Forest Service's own data found the real figure is 2.8

Vital for America's Drinking Water

Essential fact

National forests supply drinking water to at least 124 million people in 3,400+

communities across 33 states (DellaSala 2011)

Taxpayers on the Hook

Essential fact

Forest Service has 380,000-mile road system (2x longer than US highways);

deferred road maintenance backlog estimated at $8.4 billion (USFS FEIS) or $15.6

billion in inflation-adjusted terms

Millions Support the Roadless Rule

Essential fact

The 2025 USDA comment period drew approximately 600,000 comments; a detailed

roadless.org analysis found more than 99.8% opposed rescission. Pew (Feb 2026):

76% of voters support the Roadless Rule vs. 13% opposed (71% R, 80% D, 80% I).

A Climate Refuge for an Uncertain Future

Essential fact

Roadless areas serve as essential climate refugia — providing the cool

microclimates, intact hydrology, and unfragmented habitat connectivity that

ecosystems and species need to adapt to a warming climate, plus anchoring four

Other Key Facts

Essential fact

Independent ecological and legal analyses — state-level conservation rankings,

forest plan adequacy reviews, and ESA Section 7 consultation records —

consistently identify roadless areas as the rarest, most legally distinctive