Trump Administration Moves to Repeal Forest Roadless Protections

The U.S. Forest Service announced a proposal to rescind the 2001 “Roadless Rule,” which currently bars road construction and commercial logging in roadless sections of national forests. The change would remove those restrictions from roughly 44 million acres of the 193-million-acre National Forest System, opening the lands to activities such as mining, oil and gas drilling, and expanded timber harvests.

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Enacted in 2001, the Roadless Rule was intended to preserve pristine forest areas that lack existing roads. By prohibiting new roads, the rule also limited associated extractive activities and was credited with protecting water quality, wildlife habitat, and recreational values across the nation’s public lands.

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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins framed the rule as an “outdated restriction” that hampers forest management and could worsen wildfire risk. She argued that restoring decision-making authority to local forest managers would enable treatments that improve forest health and reduce threats to nearby communities.

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Kristin Gendzier, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, warned that the Forest Service’s plan would pave the way for “reckless projects” capable of permanently scarring roadless landscapes. She emphasized potential harms to tourism, recreation, and the clean drinking water supplies that many communities rely on from national forests.

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If implemented, the rollback would affect 44 million acres—about 23 % of the National Forest System—allowing new roads, logging, and extractive operations that were previously prohibited. Proponents contend the change will facilitate more aggressive wildfire mitigation, while critics fear it could accelerate habitat loss, water-quality degradation, and increased commercial exploitation of public lands.

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