Hello
I have observed first hand the problems that can result when forest management decisions become the rule throughout the vast national forest system. Even age management (clear cutting) way seems to to be the best practice for harvesting a mountainside in a western state, but clear cutting relative small tracts in the Hoosier National Forest created clearings for invasive shrubs and faster growing trees, hindering germination and growth of oak and hickory.
The roadless rule was and is a National Forest wide management plan I support whole heartedly. Roads into mature forests is an invitation for trouble to follow. Roads invite off road vehicles which leads to erosion and vegetation damage. It disturbs wildlife during breeding and nesting, and creates more infrastructure that isnt maintained.
Allow wise Forest stewards to plan responsibly for sustainable harvests while protecting critical habitat for the insects, birds, and animals that call our national forests home.
Larry
The Forest Service should keep the Roadless Rule intact exactly as it is. Do not weaken or repeal this critical policy.
National forests are the heart of our public lands. The Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects some of the wildest forests we have left, forests that protect critical wildlife habitat and drinking water for millions. Revoking the Roadless Rule puts landscapes, wildlife, and communities at risk.
Not only is the Roadless Rule good policy, it's also wildly popular across the country, with over 600,000 people submitting comments to the US Forest Service last year in support of keeping the rule in place. And more than 20 years ago, the American people overwhelmingly called for our national forests to be protected for future generations. Revoking the Roadless Rule would destroy the natural inheritance we leave for our children.