Hello,
I oppose rescinding the Roadless Rule without clear safeguards as this could expose mature and old-growth forests to unnecessary commercial harvesting and permanent road construction.
Before changing the rule, I respectfully ask the Forest Service to establish enforceable protections for existing old-growth trees and ecologically significant mature forests.
Any exceptions should allow legitimate wildfire prevention, public safety and ecological restoration while preventing those exceptions from becoming a pathway for unnecessary commercial removal of irreplaceable old trees.
These forests took CENTURIES to develop and cannot simply be replaced by planting new trees (many of which die in a few days). Please preserve responsible forest-management tools while adding clear protections for the mature and old-growth forests we cannot replace. You do not want this country to be a forest-less country. We have beautiful landscapes, but they are only beautiful if people protect them.