The US Forest Service manages 193 million acres of national forest land. Half of that land is open to logging, drilling, and mining. 19% is protected wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System. Roadless areas comprise the remaining 30%. President Bill Clinton issued the Roadless Conservation Rule in January of 2001. The rule established roadless areas. The Roadless Rule protects 58.5 million acres of undeveloped national forest lands from logging and roadbuilding. The rule also prevents coal, gas, oil, and other mineral leasing on the land.
The Roadless Rule is under attack
The US Dept. of Agriculture announced plans to cancel the Roadless Rule in June 2025. A USDA statement called the rule “overly restrictive” and “outdated”. The administration claims that the reversal is necessary to enable proper fire management. They argue that the rule “hurts jobs and economic development across rural America.” This reversal furthers executive orders to increase logging and boost bioenergy. It advances plans to sell off millions of acres of public lands. Plans that were defeated as part of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
The reversal of the Roadless Rule is another effort to boost logging and other extractive, polluting industries. It will destroy protected public lands that belong to the American people.
Why is the Roadless Rule important?
The Roadless Rule is a vital conservation tool. It ended a decades-long effort to protect undeveloped areas in our national forests. Roadless areas provide undisturbed, connected habitats for wildlife to thrive. Many contain our nation’s old-growth forests. Roadless areas absorb and store climate-warming carbon dioxide at a large scale. They keep our freshwater supply clean by filtering pollutants and sediments. They give us the oxygen we need to survive. Roadless areas shield our communities from disasters like floods, fires, and strong storms.
Roadless areas are open for a range of recreational activities. Visitors can enjoy backcountry experiences such as:
- biking
- camping
- climbing
- fishing
- hiking
- hunting
- paddling
- skiing
- wildlife viewing
Why should we protect the Roadless Rule?
The Forest Service already has a 380,000-mile road system, even with the Roadless Rule in place. Building more roads in national forests would be a burden on taxpayers. Because taxpayers will pay for roads built on public lands.
Building roads in forested areas is disruptive and destructive. It breaks up habitats and ecosystems. It creates boundaries that limit wildlife movement. This can make finding food, shelter, or a mate an even bigger challenge for wildlife. Roadbuilding destroys native vegetation. Roads can increase the spread of pollutants and invasive species. Building roads can change the soil composition. This can increase erosion and alter nutrient exchanges. It can limit the soil’s ability to filter pollution and silt. This can make our drinking water less safe. It can also reduce the soil’s ability to store water, decreasing our freshwater supplies. Building roads in roadless areas can harm our clean water, climate, forests, and wildlife.
Forest defense is fire defense
Logging, even under the guise of “forest thinning,” is known to increase fire risk. Heavily logged forests burn more intensely and faster than protected forests. Especially when extreme weather is a factor. Dense, mature forests are less likely to burn in wildfires. They create more canopy cover and shade. This keeps surface temperatures lower. They also buffer wind gusts that can spread flames. Dead and downed trees absorb lots of water, making them less likely to burn.
When a forest is logged, the soil dries out and surface temperatures rise. Making the area warmer and more prone to burn. Highly combustible scrub brush is left behind that can easily ignite in a wildfire. Logging releases carbon and makes the climate crisis worse. That increases the likelihood of droughts, high winds, and heat waves. All these factors contribute to making wildfires more frequent and more destructive.
Roadless areas support the recreation economy
Roadless areas are havens for outdoor recreation. Outdoor recreation created $1.2 trillion in US goods and services in 2023. That’s 2.3% of our total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This growing sector supported 5 million American jobs the same year. That’s 3.1% of all jobs. The outdoor recreation economy has grown 36% since 2012. Roadless areas contribute to economic development and job growth. Especially in the rural areas where many roadless areas are protected. Outdoor recreation is a pillar of a regenerative economy. One that minimizes extraction from nature. Outdoor recreation is a booming segment of the US economy.
Roadless areas protect 11,337 climbing routes and boulder routes. They safeguard more than 1,000 whitewater paddling runs. They secure 43,826 miles of trails and 20,298 mountain biking trails. Protected roadless areas include large sections of national trail systems. Such as the Appalachian, the Continental Divide, and the Pacific Crest Trails.
Why should you support the Roadless Conservation Act of 2025?
Members of the 119th Congress introduced the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025. This legislation will “provide lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System.” If passed, it would take an act of Congress to remove roadless area protections. The House Bill (H.R.3930) has co-sponsors from 22 states. The Senate Bill (S.2042) has co-sponsors from 13 states.
More than 40 states have areas protected by the Roadless Rule. Find out which Southern forests are at-risk. We have a lot to lose (58.5 million acres) if the Roadless Rule is reversed. The Roadless Conservation Act is an opportunity to codify roadless area protections.
Allowing logging, drilling, mining, and roadbuilding in roadless areas will:
- Worsen the climate crisis by destroying vital carbon sinks
- Put our clean drinking water and freshwater sources at risk
- Cut down our nation’s old-growth forests
- Increase the intensity and frequency of wildfires, floods, and storms
- Degrade backcountry recreation opportunities
- Threaten outdoor recreation economy growth
- Destroy wildlife habitat
- Burden taxpayers with roadbuilding costs
- Pilfer land that belongs to the American people
Roadless areas are our public lands. They belong to the American people. We can’t allow any administration to sell them off ever. We can’t open them up for extraction to benefit polluters, corporations, or billionaires. The US has a history of conservation. We owe it to future generations to carry the legacy of conservation forward.
Urge Congress to defend the Roadless Rule. Ask them to support the Roadless Conservation Act of 2025. Take action now, before it’s too late.