“I support keeping our roadless areas as they are -- roadless. This helps to protect our natural heritage that…”

I support keeping our roadless areas as they are -- roadless. This helps to protect our natural heritage that belongs to all Americans. Our nation was founded upon a wild and remote continent, and we lose so much as that continues to disappear. Our wild and roadless lands are our heritage. They are what our ancestors saw in America. The roadless lands in the national forests are an American treasure. For decades the Roadless Rule has protected them from roads and logging, preserving irreplaceable wildlife habitats, sources of clean water, and recreation areas. The roll back on roadless lands is justified in part as a wildfire-prevention measure. That is a lie. Peer-reviewed evidence shows that increasing roads will only increases wildfire ignitions. More than 80% of wildfires occur within 800 meters of roads.  In addition, increasing timber production means cutting down bigger, old trees, which are the most resilient to wildfire. Once an old-growth tree is cut and sold, it will take hundreds of years to replace it, and even longer for ecosystems to heal following clearcutting. Since older trees absorb and store more carbon than their younger counterparts, it is especially important that we keep these forests standing right now while we have the greatest ability to mitigate climate change.    Forests are not a crop to be used to line the pockets of industry executives. They sustain fish, birds, wildlife, and people; filter drinking water; provide recreational opportunities; and absorb and store carbon, helping us to fight climate change. Carving up these forests with roads and logging means we lose those benefits. These lands belong to all Americans, not the timber industry. The pristine lands protected by the Roadless Rule provide an extraordinary landscape for numerous backcountry recreation activities; sustain sensitive fish, bird and wildlife species that need these intact ecosystems to survive; provide subsistence to Tribes; and provide clean, clear drinking water for communities. Without protection for these roadless lands, all of those benefits will be jeopardized. I urge you to keep the Roadless Rule in place and protect our forests. Sincerely, Joel Despain Bella Vista, CA