The Trump administration proposed a repeal of the 2001 “roadless rule,” raising concerns among environmentalists that already-threatened woodlands could be further fragmented.
The Trump administration Tuesday proposed a full repeal of a rule that for decades has prevented road-building and logging inside tens of millions of acres of near-pristine national forests, a move that environmental advocates fear could fragment already-threatened woodlands.
The Agriculture Department said that the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, often called the “roadless rule,” was outdated and that greater flexibility was needed to combat the growing threat of wildfires on public land. Roads can provide greater access for firefighting crews and can serve as firebreaks.
“Our forests can’t afford another decade of inaction. Across the country, we’ve watched preventable conditions — overgrown stands, insect outbreaks and disease — turn healthy landscapes into tinderboxes,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in the statement.
“For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities,” she added.
The existing rule also prohibits commercial logging in areas that the Forest Service has officially designated as “inventoried roadless areas,” or areas of national forest deemed to be generally undeveloped.
Advocacy groups criticized the move as opening up vast areas of largely untouched forests to degradation. They argue the changes could lead to more fires as humans, who are the cause of 9 out of 10 fires, gain easier access to remote areas of national forest through new roadways.
“Opening our backcountry forests to more roads and development, and therefore more ignitions, is also not a wildfire solution, and never will be,” Josh Hicks, conservation campaigns director at the Wilderness Society, said in a statement.
Wildfires have become an increasingly large part of the Forest Service’s job as climate change ramps up the intensity of the blazes. In mid-July, federal fire officials declared the highest level of fire preparedness, the earliest they have raised the alert level that high in 10 years. Earlier this month, major fires in Washington state forced evacuations in Spokane.
The proposal will be opened for public comment for 30 days, after which USDA can make revisions and finalize the policy. The repeal of the rule is sure to face legal challenges if it is finalized, as several groups vowed to sue after Rollins said last year she intended to rescind the policy.Ask The Post AIDive deeper
The protections currently apply to more than 44 million acres of inventoried roadless area out of the 193 million acres in the national forest system, according to USDA, which houses the Forest Service. Rescinding the rule would also open up these areas to logging.
The Trump administration Tuesday proposed a full repeal of a rule that for decades has prevented road-building and logging inside tens of millions of acres of near-pristine national forests, a move that environmental advocates fear could fragment already-threatened woodlands.
The Agriculture Department said that the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, often called the “roadless rule,” was outdated and that greater flexibility was needed to combat the growing threat of wildfires on public land. Roads can provide greater access for firefighting crews and can serve as firebreaks.
“Our forests can’t afford another decade of inaction. Across the country, we’ve watched preventable conditions — overgrown stands, insect outbreaks and disease — turn healthy landscapes into tinderboxes,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in the statement.
“For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities,” she added.
The existing rule also prohibits commercial logging in areas that the Forest Service has officially designated as “inventoried roadless areas,” or areas of national forest deemed to be generally undeveloped.
Advocacy groups criticized the move as opening up vast areas of largely untouched forests to degradation. They argue the changes could lead to more fires as humans, who are the cause of 9 out of 10 fires, gain easier access to remote areas of national forest through new roadways.
“Opening our backcountry forests to more roads and development, and therefore more ignitions, is also not a wildfire solution, and never will be,” Josh Hicks, conservation campaigns director at the Wilderness Society, said in a statement.
Wildfires have become an increasingly large part of the Forest Service’s job as climate change ramps up the intensity of the blazes. In mid-July, federal fire officials declared the highest level of fire preparedness, the earliest they have raised the alert level that high in 10 years. Earlier this month, major fires in Washington state forced evacuations in Spokane.
The proposal will be opened for public comment for 30 days, after which USDA can make revisions and finalize the policy. The repeal of the rule is sure to face legal challenges if it is finalized, as several groups vowed to sue after Rollins said last year she intended to rescind the policy.Ask The Post AIDive deeper
The protections currently apply to more than 44 million acres of inventoried roadless area out of the 193 million acres in the national forest system, according to USDA, which houses the Forest Service. Rescinding the rule would also open up these areas to logging.
