The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has formally filed a proposal to repeal the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which bans road construction and logging on nearly 45 million acres (about 18 million hectares) of national forest land. The proposal was submitted by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday, who cited the need to reduce wildfire risk by empowering local forest managers who “know the land best.”
“For too long, outdated regulations have left tens of millions of acres of forest outside the scope of treatments needed to improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to communities,” Rollins said. “It’s time to turn the page, repeal the failed roadless rule, and restore our forests to a healthy and productive state.”
The administration of President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers argue that building roads in these areas would improve firefighter access to forest land during wildfires. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte emphasized: “For 25 years, heavy-handed Washington intervention has hindered Montana’s ability to manage wildfire risk and develop roads across nearly 60% of the Forest Service land in our state.”
Despite the “roadless” designation, thousands of miles of existing roads are actually managed by federal, state, and county authorities within these areas. According to the National Forest Service, about half of this land lies within 1 mile (1.6 km) of a road, and 31% is within 0.5 miles (800 meters).
The USDA clarified that it is not forcing logging or road construction. However, environmental groups warn that repealing the rule would open the door to development projects that increase wildfire risk. Research by The Wilderness Society indicates that fires are four times more likely to start near roads than in roadless forests.
“Roadless forests are wildlife havens,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest regional director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “They are home to jaguars, Mexican spotted owls, and ocelots—some of the most iconic species on the continent. Opening roads into their habitats will bring human-caused fires and disturbances they don’t need and can’t endure.”
The United States is experiencing one of its worst wildfire years in a decade, with 7.3 million acres (about 3 million hectares) burned in approximately 49,000 fires as of August 17, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. More than 95% of the affected area is in 10 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
In early August, Washington state battled a devastating wildfire that scorched over 8,000 acres (about 3,200 hectares) and forced about 65,000 people to evacuate. Last month, the Trump administration also completed the rollback of two regulations related to the Endangered Species Act. One change requires officials to consider economic and national security factors when determining whether an area should be designated as “critical habitat.”
The proposal to repeal the Roadless Rule will open a public comment period lasting until September 21.
