Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of the 2001 Roadless Rule

In September 2026, President Donald Trump announced a proposal to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a 2001 policy that limits development on roughly 45 million acres of national forest. The rollback would allow new road construction, drilling and logging in those areas. The move follows the February 2025 appointment of Tom Schultz as chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

The Guardian

The Roadless Rule has long been opposed by timber interests and many Republican lawmakers. The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC), a west-coast trade group that includes the Idaho Forest Group, has advocated for the rule’s rescission, arguing that the “one-size-fits-all” policy blocks “active forest management” such as thinning, prescribed fire and logging. AFRC spending on lobbying related to forest-management policies exceeded $210,000 in 2025-2026, according to lobbying records.

The Guardian

Public Citizen’s climate-research director Lois Parshley warned that the repeal could endanger roughly 400 threatened and endangered species and that roads may increase human-caused fire risk. She cited Forest Service data showing wildfires are nearly three times more likely to start near roads. Critics also note that federal lands burn, on average, five times larger fires than adjacent private lands.

The Guardian

• “There is broad bipartisan support for increasing forest health treatments – thinning, prescribed fire, and even logging – to reduce the size and severity of wildfires and make forests more resilient to climate change.” — Nick Smith, spokesperson for the AFRC

The Guardian

• “It’s pretty clear that the industry was excited by their reactions to Schultz’s nomination and then confirmation,” — Lois Parshley, climate research director at Public Citizen

The Guardian