Roadless Rule needs protection
In 2001, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule was adopted with massive public support to protect roadless national forest land. The rule protects 58.5 million acres of national forests over 39 states from new road construction, and prohibits the logging of roadless areas (with some exceptions) in the National Forest System.
This protection is now threatened.
In August 2025, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture announced the Trump administration was beginning the process to repeal Roadless Rule protections for public lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service. This would remove protections for those 58.5 million acres of public lands, enabling industrial-scale logging, mining, roadbuilding, oil and gas development, and other harmful activities in fragile
ecosystems.
According to maps from Outdoor Alliance’s GIS Lab, the rule’s protections preserve 43,826 miles of trail, 11,337 climbing routes, more than 1,000 whitewater paddling runs, and 20,298 mountain biking trails. Large sections of the Continental Divide, Pacific Crest, and Appalachian National Trails traverse protected roadless areas.
Expanding industrial activities would destroy recreation areas, put the lands at greater risk of wildfire, destroy wildlife habitat, threaten drinking water sources, and worsen climate change. These protected landscapes include old forests, wetlands, canyons and other undeveloped lands that are critical to our nation’s ecological health
The Roadless Rule was the result of years of work and public input. The public comment period set a record with 1.6 million public comments submitted. 95% of the comments received supported roadless area protection. That support continues. Communities, Tribes, businesses, sporting groups, and outdoor enthusiasts are united in adamant opposition against the USDA’s proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule
This link provides a map of current Roadless Areas that could be at risk. https://national-roadless-areas.vercel.app. Take Action: sc.org/roadlessrule
