To the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposal to fully or partially rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Docket FS-2025-0001).
As a resident of Washington State and native who grew up hiking, camping, and backpacking through some of the most beautiful national forests in the world, the conservation and protection of these public lands and ecosystems is extremely important to me. As a frequent utilizer of our nation’s public lands, inventoried roadless areas matter deeply to me. I frequently visit and recreate in Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Kaniksu National Forest and Snoqualmie-Mt Baker National Forest for backcountry solitude and peaceful escape.
Protecting these unfragmented landscapes is vital for several critical reasons:
• Clean Water and Watersheds: Roadless areas safeguard essential headwaters and drinking water sources for downstream communities.
• Wildlife Habitat: Roads fragment ecosystems and disrupt sensitive wildlife corridors, threatening biodiversity and endangered species.
• Climate and Resilience: Intact forests act as natural carbon sinks and are more resilient to severe disturbances than fragmented, heavily managed timber lands.
Shifting management decisions to local forest plans without a national safeguard risks opening millions of acres of pristine backcountry to industrial logging and road construction. I urge the Forest Service to select Alternative 1 (No Action) and maintain full, nationwide protections for all designated inventoried roadless areas.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this critical rule.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Burnham
Spokane Valley, WA, 99206