I would like to write a comment in support of the Roadless Rule. I view the Roadless Rule as a fantastic idea to protect, preserve and steward our national forests. The proposed rescinding of the rule is not about appropriate forest management, the Forest Service is already permitted to thin forests, do controlled burns, and develop roads for fire prevention as needed. Instead this is all about industrial logging, ripping the future of these forests away.
Old growth forests used to cover this continent until we chopped them all down. My hometown in the Upper Midwest began as a logging town, and the giant towering old white pines were cut down long before I was even born. As a result, I have never seen old growth white pine, trees take a long time to grow after all. I find reverence in the trees that I can experience, and I often wonder about what it would be like to see my hometown forests in all their old growth glory. For me, that will never be possible, my life will be too short, but for future generations it can be. If we can protect these forests, by choosing not to cut them down, we can safeguard these forests for future generations. Imagine how our children, or grandchildren, or great-grandchildren may one day find reverence in the old growth trees. For to choose to not cut down a forest is to choose to invest in the future, whereas cutting it down is like giving up. Imagine how grateful future generations would be if they knew that we chose to invest in their future because we believed they were worth it.