Trump administration moves to end 2001 roadless rule on national forests

The U.S. Forest Service has filed a proposal to rescind a rule that protected millions of acres of national forests in order to allow for more road construction, drilling and logging operations. 

Proposal to rescind the roadless rule

Dig deeper:

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a proposed rule to entirely rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, aiming to hand control back to local land managers.

Doing so would open up about 44 million acres of national forest land to road construction.

Rollins claimed doing so would reduce wildfire risks.

Some officials argued that the rule's one-size-fits-all restrictions created dangerous, overgrown tinderboxes by blocking critical active forest management, while opponents express concern over potential logging and development. 

Calling the roadless rule a failure, Rollins added that the proposal calls for removing barriers that have kept local land managers from improving forest health across millions of acres.

The proposed rescission does not mandate immediate timber harvesting or road building, but rather aligns with several of President Donald Trump's deregulation executive orders to allow individual forest plans — developed alongside local communities, states, and tribes — to guide decisions in 10 affected Western states.

What environmentalists are saying about the possible rescission

The other side:

Scientists say that worsening wildfires are driven by a combination of climate change that warms and dries out forests, less logging and decades of fire suppression that has allowed fuels to build up.

Environmentalists have been sounding the alarm and reiterated Tuesday that lifting protections would have detrimental effects for old growth forests, wildlife and water supplies.

What they're saying:

"Americans across the political spectrum have made it crystal clear that they don’t want political appointees removing protections from public lands," said Chris Krupp, an attorney with the group WildEarth Guardians. "It would be a gross misreading of public sentiment to take the roadless rule away from Americans and our wildlife, and politicians do so at their jeopardy."

Numerous groups raised concerns about what a rescission could mean, especially for places such as Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the nation’s largest national forest and a lightning rod for litigation. State political leaders there have supported an exemption to the roadless rule that they argue impedes economic opportunities.

Public comments open

What you can do:

A 30-day public comment period for the proposed rule is open until midnight Sept. 21, 2026. 

Anyone wishing to provide their opinions on the rule can do so by clicking here. 

2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule

Big picture view:

The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule protected 30% of national forest lands nationwide, or about 59 million acres, of national forests for 25 years.

Signed by former President Bill Clinton during his last days in office, the rule allowed for national forests and parks to remain pristine and protected them from commercial logging and mineral leasing. 

Environment