FS-2025-0001-589871

I am firmly opposed to rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule for a variety of reasons and urge congressional leaders to uphold the Roadless Rule. Protected forests, landscapes, and wilderness areas have long been critical assets that help keep America prosperous and beautiful. They are an essential part of our life and values as Americans. As much as we have tied our national identity to innovation and progress, so to has conservation of the vast and beautiful wilderness present in this country been central to the American ethos. Generations before us have composed songs, poems, letters, and books regarding the splendor and majesty of the wild landscapes of our country, detailing for us the profound awe and sense of wonder they inspire. Many of those same people have expressed their belief in the importance of protecting and maintaining these for future generations. Teddy Roosevelt is one such prominent figure who encapsulates my feelings well when he spoke at the conference of governors in 1908, saying "We have become great in a material sense because of the lavish use of our resources, and we have just reason to be proud of our growth. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, and the gas are exhausted, when the soils shall have been still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields, and obstructing navigation." Not only is the splendor of the land important to conserve, but the wide variety of plant and animal habitats, waterways, and ecosystems are also crucial to maintain. Every protected wilderness has a completely unique biodiversity profile that is critical to research and our understanding of the natural world we live in. Loss of the geographic and biologic diversity through practices like construction and logging permanently destroys these environments and endangers plant and animal species who have as much as right to these lands as we do. Every animal, even down to the smallest of insect, contributes to the thriving of our ecosystems. Disrupting these habitats often leads to deleterious and unforeseen consequences that can never be undone. Humanity has already seen to the extinction and endangering of untold animal species. By upholding the Roadless Rule, we are being given an opportunity not add more species to that death toll. Finally, with regard to wildfire safety. There is legitimate evidence to support the fact that human intervention into wilderness areas contributes to an increase in wildfire frequency and actually decreases efforts at wildfire protections. This is evidenced by studies such as "Three-decade record of contiguous-U.S. national forest wildfires indicates increased density of ignitions near roads" by Aplet, Hartger & Dietz in 2026, "Human-started wildfires expand the fire niche across the United States" by Balch et al. in 2017, "Does increased forest protection correspond to higher fire severity in frequent-fire forests of the western United States?" by Bradley, Hanson & DellaSala in 2016, and many more. The argument that logging and road building may, in some way, prevent or protect against wildfires is completely false. It is a theoretical argument that has never been proven in independent forestry research but is instead an advertising line used by the logging industry to use our forests for profit. The science, however, is clear. Human intervention in natural landscapes increases the risks of wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters. Decreasing the risk of these means putting efforts toward their conservation. Overall, I would argue that the protection and conservation of our national wilderness is a critical part of our principles and ethics as Americans. We are the most powerful country in the world and it is incumbent upon us to use that power to protect those animal and plant species who are at the mercy of what we have historically called "progress". It is our duty to use our power to maintain the splendid but vanishing natural beauty of our country for future generations. Further, the scientific consensus is clear that upholding these protected areas also helps protect ourselves from natural disasters such as wildfires and floods. Please, do the right thing for current and future Americans. Do not rescind the roadless rule.