FS-2025-0001-608022

I strongly OPPOSE the proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule. The potential impacts on wildlife are staggering. While the National Forest system is multi-use, there should be significant, weighted consideration for the uses that cannot be returned once destroyed, particularly in terms of our country’s biodiversity. Even amongst plant species, functional biodiversity decreases after road construction, especially in mountainous habitats (Li et al). Roads negatively affect wildlife through effects of pollution from salt, sediment, chemical run-off, dust, noise, light (Bennett), and also increases habitat fragmentation which causes a loss of species diversity. Roadless areas additionally “protect more rare and declining land-cover types, such as aspen, whitebark pine, sagebrush and grassland communities, than existing protected areas” (Crist et al). Aside from wildlife, roadless forested watersheds also help protect water resources. Olden et al found that forested watersheds that are part of Inventoried Roadless Areas under the 2001 Roadless Rule ensure clean drinking water for more than 25 million citizens in the western US. Their paper notes that many of these forested areas “overlap substantially with high-demand hunting and fishing areas and support diverse aquatic biodiversity,” thereby benefitting the human demand for recreation. On a personal note, I hold a deep love and appreciation for the natural beauty of this country and have enjoyed spending time in public lands, including areas protected under the 2001 Roadless Rule. I have spent a great deal of time in roadless areas in Montana, including the Bitterroot, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Lolo, and Flathead National Forests. I would be profoundly saddened if these areas were opened up for timber, mining, or other industries that would require roads built on these lands. They are special to me indeed because of recreation, but overwhelmingly because of the unique flora and fauna they preserve. This is why I believe biodiversity needs to be taken seriously as a reason to uphold the 2001 Roadless Rule. I urge the USDA to keep the 2001 Roadless Rule and reject this current proposal. Sincerely, Eliza Seigel Citations Bennett, V. J. (2017). Effects of road density and pattern on the conservation of species and biodiversity. Current Landscape Ecology Reports, 2(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40823-017-0020-6 CRIST, M. R., WILMER, B., & APLET, G. H. (2005). Assessing the value of roadless areas in a conservation reserve strategy: Biodiversity and landscape connectivity in the Northern Rockies. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42(1), 181–191. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.00996.x Li, H., Luo, P., Yang, H., Luo, C., Xie, W., Jia, H., Cheng, Y., & Huang, Y. (2022). Assessing the effect of roads on mountain plant diversity beyond species richness. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 985673. PubMed Central. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.985673 Olden, J. D., Postel, S. L., Dombeck, M. P., Kesting, H., Freeman, P., & Comte, L. (2026). Assessing the value of the U.S. roadless rule for people and nature. PLOS Water, 5(7), e0000538. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000538 See attached file(s).