Trump Moves to Strip Protections From 44M Acres of National Forest
The move would open nearly 45 million acres to roads and logging, as environmental groups warn it could raise wildfire risk and harm water supplies.
- On Tuesday, the Trump administration proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, a move that would open nearly 45 million acres of national forest to road construction, logging, and other development across 37 states.
- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the proposal restores authority to local forest managers, arguing that removing outdated restrictions will improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to communities.
- Environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council argue the rescission increases wildfire risk, citing studies showing human-caused ignitions are four times more likely in areas with roads than roadless forests.
- Forests currently provide drinking water to 180 million Americans, and critics warn that development could degrade watersheds while harming local economies relying on recreation spots like the Appalachian Trail.
- The Agriculture Department opened a 30-day public comment period ending September 21, as the timber industry seeks to develop projects on millions of acres of old-growth trees previously protected from commercial logging.
28 Articles
28 Articles
US moves to open vast tracts of pristine forests to logging
The proposal would rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, enacted in the final days of the Clinton administration, which barred development across vast areas of public forests and grasslands designated as "inventoried roadless areas." In a statement announcing the move, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the rule had prevented the Forest Service from carrying out vital management work that would curb wildfires. "Across the cou…
Forest Service moves to rescind 25-year-old ‘roadless rule,’ citing wildfire risk
The U.S. Forest Service is looking to rescind a Clinton-era rule that established prohibitions on road construction and timber harvesting in tens of millions of acres of roadless public lands in 36 states.
Trump administration moves to rescind rule that protects millions of forest acres
The Trump administration took a step toward rescinding a decades-old rule that protects undeveloped forests on Tuesday in a move it says will help manage wildfire risk, but which environmental groups oppose, saying it would do the opposite.
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