Opposition to Proposed Rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Docket FS-2025-0001)
Dear U.S. Forest Service:
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposal(s) to fully or partially rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, and I urge the agency to select Alternative 1 (No Action) in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). I am a resident, backcountry recreationist, small outdoor industry business owner, hunter, and conservationist, living in Hailey, Idaho. I regularly recreate in or depend upon the clean water and healthy ecosystems of the Sawtooth National Forest, and the Salmon & Big Wood watersheds.
The Roadless Rule is the most popular rule ever implemented in USDA’s history. When it was first proposed in 2001, the Roadless Rule received 1.6 million public comments—more than any rule in U.S. history at that time. Over 95% of these comments supported keeping roadless protections.
The Roadless Rule is vital for protecting our remaining undeveloped national forest lands. These inventoried roadless areas provide critical ecological benefits, including high-quality drinking water sources, pristine wildlife habitats, and essential carbon storage that aids in climate resilience. Furthermore, these unfragmented landscapes support robust outdoor recreation economies and preserve valuable natural heritage for future generations.
The Forest Service itself stated in the text of the Roadless Rule that conserving roadless areas was critical because road construction and logging were the activities “most likely to harm” the characteristics and values the agency is tasked with protecting. That remains true today.
Rescinding these protections would open sensitive wildlands to road construction, commercial logging, and resource extraction, leading to habitat fragmentation, increased fire risks, and permanent damage to vulnerable ecosystems. Managing existing infrastructure should take priority over opening intact roadless areas to costly new development.
The text of the Roadless Rule itself acknowledges that the Forest Service could not maintain its existing road system to safety and environmental standards. That reality has only worsened as budgets continue to shrink.
I request that the Forest Service withdraw the proposal to rescind the Roadless Rule and maintain the protections of Alternative 1(No Action) across all 44+ million acres of Inventoried Roadless Areas.
Please, we must protect America’s remaining roadless areas for current and future generations.
Thank you for considering my comments.
Sincerely,
Heather Dawnstar Guess