Dear Forest Service Officials,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed changes to the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. I urge the agency to select the No Action Alternative, which maintains the vital protections currently shielding our roadless national forest lands.The 2001 Roadless Rule is one of our nation's most successful conservation policies. Weakening these protections to allow commercial logging and new road construction would deeply impact our shared public lands. I am particularly concerned about the following consequences:
Destruction of Old-Growth Ecosystems: Roadless areas safeguard the last remaining blocks of pristine, intact old-growth forests. Opening these spaces to logging threatens irreplaceable habitats, vital wildlife corridors, and clean drinking water sources for millions of people.
Increased Wildfire Risks: Constructing new roads introduces human activity deeper into the backcountry, heavily increasing the risk of human-caused wildfire ignitions. Fragmented, logged forests are often more vulnerable to severe fires than undisturbed, naturally resilient ecosystems.
Loss of Wild Spaces: Once these wild areas are fragmented by industrial roads, they cannot easily be restored.
On a personal level, these lands matter deeply to me because I love this planet and everything it offers. I plan to visit all the national parks during my retirement and it would be devastating if these were not sacredly preserved for generations to come.
Please protect our remaining wild backcountry and reject any rollbacks to the Roadless Rule. Thank you for your time and for considering my comments.
Sincerely,
Jolene Weiss
Annandale, NJ 08801