By Derek Vanbuskirk
The U.S. Forest Service filed a proposal Tuesday to rescind a 25-year-old rule that had prevented development on 44 million acres, nearly one-third of the National Forest System, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced.
The USDA framed the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule as a “one-size-fits-all restriction” that frustrated land managers and hindered wildfire risk reduction. (RELATED: America Found A Rare Metal It Desperately Needs. Red Tape Could Keep It In The Ground For Ages)
“For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in the statement. “Today, we filed a proposal to restore authority to local forest managers who know the land best, removing the barriers that have kept them from doing the work the land demands. It’s time to turn the page on the failed roadless rule and return our forests to health and productivity.”
@USDA announced the proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement related to the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule to better reduce wildfire risk on national forests and grasslands. We invite you to read and comment on the proposed rule on https://t.co/POO29wE2sO. pic.twitter.com/ieYj3kc4DX
— USDA Forest Service (@forestservice) August 18, 2026
While more USDA officials view the change as “commonsense” and “essential,” groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said that a 2025 poll found that 76 percent of likely voters support the rule, which protected the land from the construction of new roads, commercial logging and further development.
“The Trump administration is moving to gut our most iconic national forests by giving loggers and drillers free rein to turn them into industrial wastelands. It is trying to walk away from the most successful land conservation policy in modern U.S. history,” NRDC Senior Vice President for Nature Andrew Wetzler said. “The American people will not let this plan stand.”
Gabriella Hoffman, director of the Center for Energy and Conservation at Independent Women, told the Daily Caller that the discussion surrounding the repeal needs more nuance.
“Forested land, like public land, is multiple-use, meaning it can be open to both commercial and recreational uses. The agency explicitly says it won’t mandate timber cutting or road construction, but will allow local national forest managers to be the final arbiters of rules and decisions,” Hoffman said.
She added that it��s “ludicrous to insinuate the Trump administration would shut down access on forestlands, “especially as the Biden administration had previously shut down public lands.
Hoffman said that Congress must tackle this issue itself to prevent frequent rule changes and to avoid further ambiguity.
Republican Govs. Greg Gianforte of Montana and Spencer Cox of Utah joined the USDA in defending the proposal, both saying the changes will allow states to properly care for forests for the benefit of local communities.
“For 25 years, the Roadless Rule has tied the hands of local land managers with a one-size-fits-all federal policy. Rescinding it restores the flexibility to make thoughtful decisions based on the needs of each forest and each community,” Cox said. “We can protect the landscapes we treasure by actively managing them for the next generation.”
The Trump administration has come under fire for other actions critics view as sacrificing conservation efforts to advance private corporate interests.
On Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) received pushback after announcing that “limited” infrastructure would be built in Big Bend National Park to reduce illegal border crossings.
Likewise, American duck hunters retaliated against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after it opened public review of a proposal to place drainage pipes in federally protected prairie wetlands that double as important duck breeding grounds. (RELATED: Hunters Cry Fowl Over Trump Review They Fear Could Hammer Duck Populations Nationwide)
A 30-day period has been set to allow for public comment on the proposal before the revision is finalized.
