“Roads permanently damage and further fracture the already fragile ecosystems”
“strengthen its commitment to protecting America's roadless forests for the clean water, climate resilience, recreation, and biodiversity they provide”
“protect my safety and the health of these ecosystems”
“protecting America's roadless forests for the clean water”
What it names
Roadless areas
Hardesty Mountain
Works cited
Cardille et al. 2001
The comment
Dear Secretary Rollins,
I am writing to you as a young person who, like many others in the Western US, has experienced the fear and loss that wildfire can bring to a community. Repealing the roadless rule is reckless and dangerous as roads increase the number and frequency of wildfires.
Building new roads or increasing the length or density of existing roads in roadless areas will increase human-caused ignitions (Brown et al. 2004; Swetnam 1990). Road density is linked to human-caused wildfires, and as the density of roads increases so does the probability, number,and frequency of wildfire ignitions (Cardille et al. 2001).
Roads permanently damage and further fracture the already fragile ecosystems that I, and my community, rely on for clean water, clean air and recreation.
I often visit the Hardesty Mountain Roadless area in Oregon. This area is so special to me, providing a spot to hike, bike, swim, eat thimble berries, forage chanterelles and smell the vanilla leaf. This spot is near and dear to my heart, please make the right choice and maintain the current protection that the roadless rule provides.
I do not support any of the proposed action alternatives that roll back the Roadless Rule. I urge the USDA to abandon this misguided effort and instead strengthen its commitment to protecting America’s roadless forests for the clean water, climate resilience, recreation, and biodiversity they provide. Leave the Roadless Rule in place.
Thank you for taking my comment to heart, please do the right thing to protect my safety and the health of these ecosystems.