The Trump administration announced on a Tuesday that it is moving ahead with plans to rescind the quarter-century-old Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a move that could potentially open up tens of millions of acres of national forests to road construction, drilling, and logging according to AP News. The U.S. Forest Service, an agency within the Department of Agriculture, formally filed a proposal to scrap the 2001 regulation in its entirety in the Federal Register, alongside a draft of an environmental impact statement.
Trump Administration Proposes Rescinding 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule
The rule, adopted in the final days of Bill Clinton’s presidency, has protected approximately 59 million acres—affecting 30% of national forest lands nationwide—from commercial logging and mineral leasing. While the rescission removes national designations for these roadless areas, officials stated that the change does not automatically mandate timber cutting or road construction.
Administration Arguments on Wildfires and Local Forest Management
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and other administration officials described the 2001 regulation as a one-size-fits-all, overly restrictive barrier that has frustrated land managers and hindered efforts to reduce wildfire risks. Rollins stated that preventable conditions such as overgrown stands, insect outbreaks, and disease have turned healthy landscapes into tinderboxes.
Tom Schultz, the Forest Service chief, noted that more than 40% of inventoried roadless areas, primarily in the West, have high or very high wildfire hazard potential, while only 5% of those areas have received hazardous fuels reduction treatments since 2014. The administration’s proposal aims to restore authority to local forest managers, whom officials argue know the land best, allowing them to carry out treatments that improve forest health and mitigate wildfire threats to communities.
Environmental Opposition and Public Comment Process
Environmental organizations immediately criticized the proposal, vowing to fight the administration at each step. Critics argued that the administration is misusing wildfire risks as an excuse to allow industrial exploitation in some of the country’s most intact public forests.
* Sierra Club: Forest campaign manager Alex Craven disputed the administration’s claims, arguing that roads generally lead to more ignitions rather than fewer, and noting that the existing rule has always permitted targeted actions to reduce hazardous fuels. * Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Appealed for public participation to defend lands stretching from California’s Tahoe National Forest and Alaska’s Tongass National Forest to the Appalachian Trail. * Alaska Wilderness League: Government affairs manager Emma Powell raised concerns regarding the Tongass National Forest—the nation’s largest national forest—describing it as a global treasure supporting salmon runs, wildlife, tourism, fisheries, and outdoor recreation.
State political leaders in Alaska have historically supported exemptions to the roadless rule, arguing that the restrictions impede local economic opportunities. During the latter part of Donald Trump’s first term, the federal government lifted restrictions on logging and road-building in the Tongass, though that decision was later reversed by the Biden administration.
The U.S. Forest Service will gather public comments on the proposal and the draft environmental impact statement, with a submission deadline set for September 21.
