It is extremely important that we keep the 2001 Roadless Rule the way it is.
Here are some quick facts:
- From 1992 to 2024, wildfires were four more times as likely to start in areas with roads than in roadless areas.
- Our National Forests are a vital source of water for millions of Americans. Roads are a major source of water pollution, threatening our clean drinking water.
- Fragmented forest areas are worse habitats for the species that are vital for the health of forests and other ecosystems.
- The Roadless Rule already has built in flexibility for exceptions. The forest service can build roads as needed to address fires, floods, and other catastrophes.
The Roadless Rule is so important for protecting our public land and wildlife from pollution, fires, and other human caused threats to our ecosystems, and it already has built in safe-guards for preventing forest fires and other disasters.
Our forests do not need to be 'productive.' We do not need to log every tree in the United States. Forests are valuable resources in their own right, especially when they are minimally impacted by humans. We need to take a step back and stop the ruthless commoditization of every square foot of land available in our nation. Rescinding the Roadless Rule is not a step back, but a dangerous step towards this commoditization.
I grew up in North Idaho recreating on roadless lands. I grew up backpacking in Idaho Panhandle National Forests by Priest Lake in some of the most pristine forests I have ever seen. I took a group of friends from Wisconsin backpacking through Hells Canyon in Nez Perce National Forest, and then visited the canyon again the same year with my best friend. I've been exploring Sawtooth National Forest since I was 8 with my family. I've climbed huge mountains in Salmon-Challis National Forest. Idaho is one of the most beautiful and untouched states in our nation because so much of its national forest land has been designated as roadless, and one of the greatest pleasures of my life has been experiencing these places for myself. Rescinding the roadless rule creates so many risks that threaten to take these experiences away permanently, from myself and millions of other Americans. Logging, pollution, and increased risks of fires associated with human-constructed roads are extremely preventable issues: just don’t build the roads. We don’t need them.
Please, listen to the pleas of the thousands and thousands of Americans asking you to keep the Roadless Rule intact.
Henry DePew