FS-2025-0001-567440

I strongly oppose the proposed repeal of the 2001 Roadless Rule. Our national forests are public lands, our shared birthright, and they should be protected for the benefit of everyone, not opened to greater roadbuilding and commercial logging. In West Virginia, the Roadless Rule safeguards treasured places like Roaring Plains, Seneca Creek, Cheat Mountain, Canaan Mountain and Tea Creek, while protecting important buffers around Dolly Sods, Otter Creek and Cranberry. These wild, unfragmented landscapes provide clean water, wildlife habitat and irreplaceable opportunities for outdoor recreation. They are set aside as having potential for wilderness designation. Allowing the construction of roads and other human infrastructure would destroy that potential. Even while not designated, they provide an important alternative in the full spectrum of National Forest land use and recreational opportunities. Roadless areas can be preserved without significant degradation as potential wilderness while still providing opportunities not available in designated wilderness, such as recreational bicycle use and hunting carts and other mechanical equipment not permitted in wilderness. The role of roadless areas as an in-between alternative to full wilderness and motorized lands open to timbering and other development is important and must not be compromised. Once roadless areas are degraded, we cannot easily restore them. Please preserve the Roadless Rule and protect our shared public lands for future generations. Sincerely, David Johnston PO Box 42 Dryfork, WV 26263-0042 dsjohnstonWV@gmail.com