To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the U.S. Forest Service’s proposed rule to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. While the administration frames this rollback as a move toward localized flexibility, eliminating these baseline federal protections poses a severe and irreversible threat to approximately 235,000 acres of pristine, inventoried roadless backcountry within the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) in New Hampshire.
The unique topography, ecology, and outdoor economy of New England make a "one-size-fits-all" removal of roadless protections highly damaging to the region for several key reasons:
• Fragmentation of Wilderness Buffers: In the rugged terrain of the White Mountains, inventoried roadless areas serve as crucial ecological buffers for designated federal wilderness areas. Allowing road construction and commercial timber harvesting in areas adjacent to places like the Sandwich Range or Franconia Notch will fragment contiguous wildlife habitats, accelerate edge-effect degradation, and permanently alter the wild character of these lands.
• Degradation of High-Value Recreation Infrastructure: The White Mountains are the crown jewel of Northeastern outdoor recreation. Pristine backcountry landscapes surrounding iconic routes—including the Appalachian Trail on Mount Moosilauke, and trails like Liberty Springs, Falling Waters, and Nancy Pond—rely on the Roadless Rule to preserve their backcountry solitude. Introducing industrial access roads, traffic, and noise pollution will directly degrade the experience that draws millions of visitors annually.
• Economic Harm to New Hampshire's Outdoor Economy: The untouched nature of WMNF's roadless areas is not merely an aesthetic asset; it is vital economic infrastructure. As noted by regional business coalitions like the Granite Outdoor Alliance, New Hampshire's multi-million dollar tourism and outdoor recreation economies depend entirely on the wild, unmarred character of our peaks and valleys. Diminishing these landscapes directly threatens local guiding services, gear outfitters, and hospitality businesses in nearby gateway communities.
• Fiscal and Environmental Irresponsibility of New Roads: Building and maintaining roads in the steep, rugged, and weather-threatened terrain of the White Mountains is environmentally disruptive and fiscally reckless. The U.S. Forest Service already faces a massive, multi-billion dollar national road maintenance backlog. Allocating resources toward new road construction in previously protected wildlands—which also statistically elevates the risk of human-caused wildfires—is a step backward for responsible forest stewardship.
• Threats to Critical Forest Research: The White Mountains host invaluable long-term ecological research sites, such as the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. Opening adjacent roadless areas to commercial exploitation risks disrupting decades of foundational scientific data on northern hardwood forests, water quality, and carbon sequestration.
As a frequent visitor to the White Mountains, I have personally hiked many of the trails in these areas. I know firsthand that once these wild spaces are roaded and logged, they can never be truly restored.
The 2001 Roadless Rule has successfully protected the ecological integrity and economic value of the White Mountain National Forest for a quarter of a century. I urge the U.S. Forest Service to withdraw this proposal and maintain the nationwide protections that keep New Hampshire’s rarest backcountry wild and intact.
Thank you for your time and consideration of these substantive comments.
Sincerely,
Jean