“I strongly oppose the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Stripping protections…”

I strongly oppose the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Stripping protections from nearly 58.5 million acres of Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs) nationwide—including over 330,000 acres across Virginia’s national forests—threatens regional biodiversity, climate resilience, and public health. Threats to Virginia’s Intact Wildlands: Virginia contains more roadless national forest land than any other state in the eastern U.S., anchored by key tracts in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests (such as Bear Creek and Little River). Opening these irreplaceable Appalachian strongholds to roadbuilding fragments core mature hardwood habitats, introduces non-native invasive species, and destabilizes steep mountain slopes prone to severe erosion. Critical Wildlife Refugia and Corridors: Nationwide, roadless areas support 57% of vulnerable terrestrial wildlife species and over 400 species listed or proposed under the Endangered Species Act. In the Central Appalachians, these intact forests serve as crucial migration corridors for wide-ranging species like black bears, bobcats, and native brook trout, which depend on cold, unpolluted headwater streams. Wildfire and Human Encroachment: Forest Service data shows that over 90% of human-caused wildfires originate within a half-mile of a road. Adding new roads into remote, rugged terrain directly increases fire risks rather than aiding management, while expanding human access into previously untouched backcountry. Water, Air Quality, and Climate: Virginia’s roadless forest areas protect municipal watersheds that deliver clean drinking water to hundreds of thousands of residents. Constructing roads through these areas increases stream sedimentation, harms native aquatic life, and releases stored carbon from old-growth forest soils—undermining regional air quality and regional climate resilience. With the Forest Service facing a multi-billion-dollar backlog in maintaining existing roads, opening intact Appalachian wildlands to new construction is fiscally and ecologically irresponsible. I urge the agency to keep the 2001 Roadless Rule fully intact.