"Experts agree that roadless areas protect wildlife habitat, biodiversity and migration corridors, help keep invasive species at bay, prevent pollution and soil erosion into streams and boost climate resilience. In short, the roadless rule is an ecological boon for Western U.S. landscapes, where most of the affected areas are located, as well as for any Westerners who enjoy outdoor recreation or live off the land."
"The Forest Service published a notice on the rule change on Aug. 29. The Department of Agriculture cited the need to increase forest and wildfire management and boost the pace of resource extraction as reasons for revoking the roadless rule. Research, however, contradicts the government's claim that building more roads will help fight wildfires. A 2020 Forest Service study concluded, after nearly 20 years of monitoring data, that more roads do not lead to better forest health through increased fire-management activity."
The Department of Agriculture has opened a public comment period on a proposal to rescind the 2001 roadless rule that prohibits road construction and logging on 58.5 million acres of Forest Service land. Comments can be submitted online through docket FS-2025-0001 until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Sept. 19. The department cited increased forest and wildfire management and faster resource extraction as reasons for revoking the rule, while a 2020 Forest Service study found that more roads do not improve forest health or fire-management outcomes. Roadless areas protect wildlife habitat, biodiversity and migration corridors, limit invasive species spread, reduce pollution and stream erosion, and support climate resilience across Western U.S. landscapes. More than 40,000 comments were received in the first week of the comment period.
Read at High Country News
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