I oppose the proposal to fully or partially rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
I live in Northern California and regularly go on walks through the redwoods and other forests.
Studies show that the roadless rule keeps our forests protected. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42408-026-00450-2 According to this study, "From 1992 to 2024, in all 8 contiguous-US Forest Service regions combined, wildfire-ignition density was lowest in designated wilderness areas, followed closely by Inventoried Roadless Areas. The highest wildfire-ignition density was in lands within 50 m of roads, and the second highest wildfire-ignition density was in other national forest lands outside of the 50-m road buffers but not in wilderness or roadless areas."
Old growth forests need to be protected. Mature and Old-Growth Forests store huge amounts of carbon. They are an excellent component to help mitigate climate change. They're much more efficient at sequestering carbon than newer planted forests. When roadless areas are protected, and thus old growth forests, it gives the best chance for old growth forests to survive and grow. Once old growth trees and forests are gone, they are gone forever. This is not something that can be undone. These are forests that took centuries, some over a thousand years. They are often biodiverse and home to rare species who depend on these forests and lands for survival. The impacts are vast and may irreparable.
“The roadless rule supports the drinking water supply for 25 million Americans and offers critical protection of wildlife habitat and recreational assets. In short, rivers in roadless areas are essential for both people and nature,” according to the lead author of a new study from the University of Washington and Conservation Science Partners https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000538 “Forest cover is well recognized for generating economic benefits by avoiding the large capital costs of water treatment plants needed to ensure clean, safe drinking water for people." Forested lands provide higher quality water because soil microbes and plant roots filter contaminants before water arrives at treatment facilities.
New road construction and logging could impair the quality of the water we drink, impacted by chemicals used during building, as well as sediment buildup in lakes and rivers, which would need to be filtered out.
Please preserve the roadless rule in it's current entirety.