I am writing regarding USDA’s proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The proposed rule would remove nationwide protections from approximately 44.7 million acres of national forest land, including areas in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. Idaho and Colorado would remain governed by their separate state-specific rules. (91 Fed. Reg. 53827; Docket FS-2025-0001.)
Although rescission would not authorize individual projects automatically, it would remove the national restrictions on road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting. Future activities could proceed where forest plans allow and subsequent environmental reviews approve them. USDA estimates that rescission could expand timber-management opportunities across approximately 4.8 million acres.
Before making a final decision, USDA should fully evaluate the cumulative effects of additional roads and logging on drinking-water watersheds, old-growth forests, wildlife habitat and connectivity, carbon storage, invasive species, recreation, and Tribal cultural resources. It should also address the financial implications of adding roads when the Forest Service already faces a multibillion-dollar road-and-bridge maintenance backlog.
Wildfire claims also require careful scrutiny. The Forest Service’s environmental analysis reports substantially more human-caused ignitions on other national forest lands than in roadless areas and recognizes that increased access can increase ignition risks. The existing Roadless Rule also contains exceptions allowing certain work for ecological restoration, public safety, and wildfire-risk reduction.
These forests provide clean water, wildlife habitat, carbon storage, and opportunities for hiking, fishing, camping, bicycling, skiing, climbing, and quiet recreation. Please ensure that the final decision gives these nationwide public benefits—and the potentially irreversible effects of fragmentation—the full weight they deserve.