Dear USFS,
I'm asking you to reconsider rescission of the Roadless Rule. I am a hiker and researcher who spends a great deal of time in wilderness. In areas where there are roads, the character of the forest is completely different and cannot be studied in the same way as areas that have not been trammeled by humans. I also lost my home in the 2020 Castle Fire, and so I speak as someone well aware of fire and the effects on the landscape. I witnessed first hand how the wind-driven fires simply blew through areas with roads that were supposed to act as fire breaks. Sequoia National Forest is already overrun by grazing (cows are squashing brand new sequoia seedlings that came up post-fire) and logging. There is so little intact forest left, especially old growth, and these areas need to be left alone. Rescission would harm me by further disabling my ability to do research and documentation as well as personal enjoyment. I am deeply connected to the sequoias, especially the more remote groves, and implore you to keep these few remaining areas wild.
Thank you,
Kim Dicso