Why Trump’s Plan to Rescind the Roadless Rule Protecting National Forests Will Struggle in Court
The rollback would open millions of acres to roadbuilding and logging, and a conservation analysis says more than 400 species could face extinction risk.
- The Trump administration announced on August 18 a formal proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, removing federal protections from nearly 45 million acres of national forest. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins argued the change is necessary for fighting wildfires.
- Adopted in 2001 under President Bill Clinton, the Roadless Rule originally protected more than 58 million acres. The U.S. Forest Service currently faces a $6.9 billion maintenance backlog on 370,000 miles of existing roads, cited by officials as justification for the rescission.
- Data from the Forest Service suggests roadless areas actually have significantly lower wildfire frequency than other national forest lands. Research found fires were four times as likely in areas with roads, contradicting the administration's stated rationale for the rescission.
- Rescission could put 7.4 million acres of designated critical habitat and nearly 1,800 miles of protected rivers at risk, threatening 400 species under the Endangered Species Act. The Center for Biological Diversity warned Wednesday the proposal would damage natural areas; the public has until September 21 to comment.
- Legal experts anticipate significant litigation, noting the Trump administration may struggle to justify reversing a long-standing policy with overwhelming public support. Critics argue the move prioritizes timber expansion over environmental protections, potentially creating unmanageable maintenance burdens.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Oregon Would Be Impacted By Rescinded Roadless Rule
Oregon would be among the 10 most-impacted states if a U.S. Forest Service proposal to rescind in its entirety the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a one-size-fits-all restriction that has frustrated land managers and served as a barrier to wildfire risk reduction work across large swaths of America’s national forests. “Our forests can’t afford another decade of inaction,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. “Across th…
The Real Reason the Forest Service Is Killing the Roadless Rule
Last week, the Trump administration announced its intention to scrap the landmark roadless rule. Rescinding the so-called roadless rule could result in road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest across more than 44 million acres of U.S. Forest Service lands. One of the key talking points around the rollback: this administration says building more roads on Forest Service lands will reduce wildfires. That’s why on this episode of the Ou…
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Why Trump’s plan to rescind the Roadless Rule protecting national forests will struggle in court
The courts have rejected similar arguments before. Meanwhile, maintenance costs are rising, and the Forest Service’s own data contradicts the administration’s wildfire claims.
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