WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Forest Service has proposed eliminating federal roadless-area protections covering more than 44 million acres of national forest, potentially expanding access for timber production, road construction and wildfire-prevention projects across the western United States.
The proposal would rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which has restricted road construction and limited certain forest-management activities for 25 years.
Affected land represents nearly 23% of the 193-million-acre National Forest System. More than 95% of the designated roadless areas are concentrated in 10 Western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Colorado and Idaho would not be affected because their national forests operate under separate state-specific roadless regulations.
The proposal would not automatically authorize logging or new roads. Instead, decisions about those activities would shift to local forest managers through existing land-management planning procedures.
The Agriculture Department tied the proposed rescission to administration directives seeking expanded timber production, energy development, deregulation and resource development in Alaska.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz stated that more than 40% of inventoried roadless areas, primarily in Western states, have high or very high wildfire hazard potential.
Only 5% of those areas have undergone hazardous-fuel reduction treatments since 2014, according to Schultz.
Approximately 11.3 million acres, more than one-quarter of inventoried roadless land, are already near existing roads.
“More than 40% of inventoried roadless areas, primarily in the West, have high or very high wildfire hazard potential,” Schultz stated. “And only 5% of those areas have received hazardous fuels reduction treatments since 2014.”
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins argued that the existing rule has restricted access needed to address overgrown forests, insect infestations and disease.
“Today, we filed a proposal to restore authority to local forest managers who know the land best, removing the barriers that have kept them from doing the work the land demands,” Rollins stated.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte indicated that the rule has affected nearly 60% of Forest Service land in his state.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon also supported shifting more management decisions to local officials and communities.
Future decisions would consider forest conditions, watershed needs, economic factors and wildfire risks, with input from states, tribes and local communities, according to the department.
The agency is accepting comments on both the proposed rescission and a draft environmental impact statement through midnight September 21.
Comments may be submitted through Regulations.gov. Additional information is available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/planning/roadless.
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