I am writing in opposition to the plan of rescinding the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Wilderness areas without roads are precious and untouched land embodies the American spirit. The roadless rule protects national forests from logging and has preserved irreplaceable wildlife habitats, sources of clean water, and provided places for Americans to recreate. Repealing the Roadless Area Conservation Rule would destroy all of these protections, both now and for future generations. This would ruin American land, thus this proposal is downright un-American.
National forests protect over 45 million acres of National Forest System land (according to the US Forest service). This includes beloved places such as Tongass National Forest, Mt. Hood National Forest & Payette National Forest. Visit these places even just once, and you will understand the need to preserve these lands. Land preservation begins with untouched wilderness. In fact, peer-reviewed evidence shows that roadbuilding increases wildfires with 80% of wildfires occurring within 800 meters of roads. This proposal will not act as a wildfire-prevention measure despite the proposal’s intended purpose. Additionally, cutting down large old trees to create roads or increase timber production increases wildfire chances as older trees are most resilient to wildfire. Ecosystems and old-growth trees take hundreds of years to regrow. This will impact carbon absorption as the trees standing in our forests today have power to lessen the effects of climate change.
National Forests should not be a place used for industry. National Forests serve their own purpose as a National Forest- land to recreate. People use these lands to fish, get water, watch for wildlife, hike, backpack, canoe, camp and more. The National Forest land provides a window into the true American frontier, and allows us as modern citizens to experience America’s finest and truest form. Roads will ruin National Forests. Within the current protections, fire roads are allowed to be created and maintained, thus the addition of more roads will ruin and pollute our National Forests.
Instead of rescinding the Roadless Area Conservation act, consider other methods of wildfire prevention, such as funding wildlife protection agencies. National Forests should remain land for all Americans, not only the timber industry. I urge you to keep the Roadless Rule in place to protect the true spirit of the American wilderness.