Understanding the Rescinding of the Roadless Rule

The United States Forest Service’s 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule) affects about 59 million acres of inventoried roadless areas within National Forest System lands by banning road building, road rebuilding, and most timber harvesting. On June 23, 2025, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the plan to rescind this rule, citing the need to improve local forest management, lower wildfire risks, and support rural economies and timber industries.

A press release on the USDA website states, “This rule is overly restrictive and poses real harm to millions of acres of our national forests. In total, 30% of National Forest System lands are impacted by this rule. For example, nearly 60% of forest service land in Utah is restricted from road development and is unable to be properly managed for fire risk. In Montana, it is 58%, and in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the largest in the country, 92% is impacted.”

Federal Lands: Managed, Not Owned

Many people are unaware that the federal government does not own public lands in the traditional sense. Instead, these lands should be called “federally managed public lands” because the federal government manages the lands in trust for the American people.

Federally managed public lands are under the supervision of the following key agencies:

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• United States Forest Service (USFS)
• National Park Service (NPS)
• United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
• Department of Defense
• Bureau of Reclamation

Federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service operate under laws such as the Multiple-Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, which establish the idea of multiple-use, balancing recreation, resource extraction, conservation, and ecosystem health.

Multiple use includes:

• Livestock grazing
• Mineral extraction (oil, gas, mining)
• Energy development
• Timber harvesting
• Recreation (including off-highway vehicle use)
• Conservation

Roadless Rule Criticisms

There are a number of arguments against the Roadless Rule that support the actions taken by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. These include:

• Obstruction to forest management
• Increased wildfire risk
• Economic harm
• Failure to reduce road maintenance costs
• Creation of de facto wilderness areas without proper designation

Other arguments against the Roadless Rule are that it reflects an outdated one-size-fits-all policy. For example, forest conditions in 2025 differ dramatically from those in 2001, marked by increasing drought, insect infestations, wildfires, deferred road maintenance, and expanding urban areas.

Benefits of Rescinding the Roadless Rule

Proponents of rescinding the Roadless Rule argue that removing this regulation returns authority to local managers, allowing actions such as timber harvesting, thinning, road construction for firebreaks, fuel reduction, improved access for fire suppression, and conservation activities. It will also increase access for recreational and other multiple uses, such as livestock grazing. The University of Wyoming emphasizes that rescinding the Roadless Rule supports “more nuanced, locally informed land management that balances conservation with access, public safety, and economic opportunity,” which aligns well with proactive agricultural and forestry stewardship. Proponents also claim that rescinding the Roadless Rule provides economic benefits to forest-dependent and grazing-dependent rural communities through increased access and job creation. With more roads and accessible areas, livestock producers and food animal operations can better reach forage lands, facilitate pasture rotations, and improve infrastructure access.

Moving Towards a Balanced Path Forward

We cannot ignore the fact that public lands are held in trust for the American people and must serve the public good. The multiple-use principles as outlined in the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960 and the FLPMA Act of 1976 require that forests serve diverse purposes, including grazing, food animal forage, timber, recreation, and conservation, within policies that adapt to ecological and economic realities. Balancing economic use with stewardship, legal stability, and environmental integrity remains paramount.

Participate in the Upcoming Comment Period

Under the proposed plan, rescission of the Roadless Rule would affect nearly 52 million acres, excluding existing state-specific rules in Idaho and Colorado. The future of the Roadless Rule will influence access, infrastructure, economic opportunities, and the safety of rural America. Decisions made in Washington D.C. will directly impact how ranchers, foresters, and farmers operate. Now is the time to act. Share your opinion with the USDA before September 19, 2025, so agricultural communities are not sidelined in this debate; a final decision is expected by late 2026.

You can participate in the comment period by using the QR Code we have provided in the accompanying graphic.

Links:

Article by the University of Wyoming: The Long Road to Rescinding the Roadless Rule HERE

USDA: Secretary Rollins Rescinds Roadless Rule, Elimination Impediment to Responsible Forest Management HERE

USDA Forest Service: Roadless Areas HERE

Reuters: Trump Administration to Open Undeveloped Forests to Mining, Logging HERE

Montana Free Press: USDA Starts Rolling up Landmark ‘Roadless Rule’ HERE

USDA: Secretary Rollins Opens Next Step in the Roadless Rule Recession HERE

Regulations.gov: Environmental Impact Statements HERE

USDA Press Release - Secretary Rollins Opens Next Step Roadless Rule Rescission HERE

If you dont want to use the QR Code - A link to comment on the federal register can be found HERE