U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins this week announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken the next step in the rulemaking process for rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule by opening a public comment period.
“We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires,” said Rollins. “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
The USDA Forest Service is publishing a notice seeking public comment on its intention to develop an environmental impact statement for the proposed rescission of the rule. The notice details the reasons for rescinding the rule, the potential effects on people and resources, and how national forests and grasslands are managed. The USDA Forest Service will publish the notice in the Federal Register on Friday, August 29, 2025.
“For nearly 25 years, the Roadless Rule has frustrated land managers and served as a barrier to action – prohibiting road construction, which has limited wildfire suppression and active forest management,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities. We encourage participation in the upcoming public process. Your input will help to build a stronger, safer future for our forests and the communities that depend on these forests for jobs, recreation, and clean water.”
While the rescission would apply to roadless areas in Alaska, state-specific rules for Colorado and Idaho, which were part of the Administrative Procedure Act petitions, would not be affected by the proposal. In total, the 2025 rescission would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the nearly 60 million acres of inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System.
The Administration says the proposal aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation and Executive Order 14153, Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential which directs the Forest Service to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 Roadless Rule.
The public is invited to comment on the potential effects of the proposal to guide the development of the environmental impact statement no later than Sept. 19, 2025. Public comments will be considered during the development of the draft environmental impact statement. Additional opportunities to comment will occur as the rulemaking process continues.
The proposal would open nearly 45 million acres of wild, unfragmented national forests to road construction, logging and other development.
Critics say if enacted, Trump’s plan would imperil hundreds of endangered species, pollute drinking water and increase wildfire risk.
“This would be the single largest evisceration of public lands protections in American history,” said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Roadless forests are the beating heart of biodiversity. Forest areas free of roads and logging provide crucial refuge and connected habitat for more than 500 imperiled species, from grizzly bears and wolves in the Pacific Northwest to migratory songbirds in the Appalachian Mountains.”
National forests are the headwaters of the country’s great rivers and the largest source of municipal water supplies, serving more than 60 million people in 33 states. Because the roadless rule protects many headwaters from roads — a major cause of water pollution — the rule is important for maintaining clean drinking water.
More than 370,000 miles of roads fragment U.S. national forests, with a maintenance backlog in the billions of dollars. Contrary to the Trump administration’s claims, says the Center, roads increase human-caused wildfires, with studies showing wildfires were four times as likely in areas with roads than in roadless forest tracts.
“Roadless forests are the last strongholds of America’s wild heritage and it’s heartbreaking to see Trump try to throw that away. These forests protect clean water, shelter wildlife and fight climate change by storing vast amounts of carbon,” said Spivak. “We’ll fight like hell to defend these forests from chainsaws and bulldozers and make sure these wild places are protected for generations to come.”