I am writing to oppose the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Docket No. FS-2025-0001, RIN 0596-AD66) and to urge the U.S. Forest Service and Department of Agriculture to retain the rule.
As a part-time Michigan resident, and native to the Upper Pennisula, I value our national forests not only for recreation, but also for clean water, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, climate resilience, and the opportunity for future generations to experience large areas of relatively undeveloped public land.
I understand the need for responsible forest management, including wildfire prevention, forest-health work, and carefully considered access where necessary. However, I do not believe eliminating the nationwide Roadless Rule is necessary to accomplish those goals. Forest management should address demonstrated local needs without broadly removing protections that have helped conserve roadless areas for more than two decades.
I am particularly concerned about the effect rescission could have on roadless lands in Michigan's Ottawa National Forest and on public forests throughout the country. Once roads are constructed and previously roadless areas are fragmented, restoring those landscapes to their former condition can be extremely difficult or impossible. New roads can also bring continuing maintenance costs and increase pressure from development, invasive species, habitat fragmentation, and other disturbances.
Public forests should be managed with a long-term perspective. Their value should not be measured only by the timber or other resources that can be extracted from them. Intact forests provide clean water, wildlife habitat, recreation, carbon storage, cultural value, and ecological resilience. These benefits belong to the public and extend far beyond a single management cycle.
I also support locally informed forest management and meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations and communities. However, local flexibility does not require eliminating a national conservation baseline. The Roadless Rule can provide that baseline while allowing appropriate management activities when genuinely necessary.
Please retain the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule rather than rescinding it. If changes are needed to address specific forest-management challenges, I urge the Forest Service to pursue targeted solutions that preserve the rule's fundamental protections.
Thank you for considering my comment and for protecting our national forests for future generations.