What They Are Actually Saying – and What The Trump Administration is Ignoring: Roadless Rule Rescission
Communities, Tribes, Businesses, Sporting Groups, and Elected Officials Are United In Adamant Opposition Against USDA’s Proposed Rescission of the Roadless Rule
Washington, D.C. – Following Secretary of Agriculture Rollins’ announcement signaling the Trump Administration’s intent to roll back the roadless rule, Americans have objected loudly. In response to a USDA bulletin that offered only narrow viewpoints from those not connected to our public lands, we offer these statements from groups and individuals blasting the Trump Administration’s plans to rescind the Roadless Rule.
Statements from Businesses and Industry Groups
Hunter McIntosh, President and Executive Director of The Boat Company: “Forty-five years ago, my father founded The Boat Company because he couldn’t stand by and watch the Tongass be gutted—clear-cut by a reckless timber industry, fueled by government subsidies that outpaced even agriculture’s biggest players. He believed this forest was worth fighting for. And now, all these years later, I find myself in the exact same fight. The same threats. The same destruction. The Tongass isn’t a renewable resource—you can’t replant ancient trees or restore what’s been lost to greed. This has to end. Not just for us, but for every generation that comes after.”
Linda Behnken, Executive Director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association: “Removing Roadless Rule protections from the Tongass brings back the risk of clearcutting, which was a mistake of the past. If we keep the forest ecosystem intact, the Tongass will continue to provide its abundant natural resources — wild salmon, clear rivers, clean air — now and for future generations.”
Marne Hayes, Director of Business for Montana's Outdoors, representing 340 businesses and more than 4500 jobs in Montana: "Public lands aren’t a disposable asset on a balance sheet – they are resources that belong to all of us. In Montana alone, they generate $4 billion every year. Our families and communities depend on healthy and accessible public lands, and rolling back the Roadless Rule would give the wealthiest Americans and corporations disproportionate control of our shared resources while handing down devastating consequences for regular Montanans' well-being and prosperity."
Lance Reif, owner of Wildwater River Guides in Leavenworth, WA: “These wild places are the lifeblood of our local economy, Roadless areas provide the reasons why so many of us choose to live, work and play here in the Evergreen State.”
Jack Lamb, CEO of Aslan Brewing in Bellingham and member of Washington Wild’s Brewshed® Alliance. “Roadless areas protect the headwaters and the source of clean quality water for fish, wildlife, residents and better tasting beer.”
Dorene O’Malley, Board Chair and Interim Executive Director of Outdoor Business Alliance in Western North Carolina: “Rescinding the Roadless Rule is a short-sighted and harmful decision that will accelerate habitat destruction, increase human-wildlife conflict, and degrade water quality essential to ecosystems, communities, and our food systems. It also threatens public health, limits outdoor recreation, and reduces opportunities for hands-on conservation work. Moreover, many of our members working in the outdoor economy would face serious consequences—from lost access to public lands to significant risks to their livelihoods and income.”
Zachary Collier, Owner/Outfitter of Northwest Rafting Company in Oregon: “Removing the Roadless Rule is a profound misstep—not just for public lands at large, but for critical watersheds like the Rogue River and its tributaries, including Rough and Ready Creek. This rollback opens the door to road-building, expanded logging, and even mining access—threatening the pristine hydrology, rare botany, and clean drinking-water sources these wild places provide. Rough and Ready Creek, flowing through the South Kalmiopsis roadless area, is nationally recognized for its exceptional water clarity, serpentine wetlands, and other rare plants. Stripping these protections is an act of environmental recklessness—one that jeopardizes our watersheds, wildlife, and regional identity for short-term industrial gain.”
Kevin Main, Co-Owner, Tongass on the Fly: "Salmon, and the entire ecosystem they sustain, depend on old-growth trees within the Tongass National Forest, which have been healing and thriving under Roadless Rule protections. Tourism, fishing, and recreation have replaced timber as the economic drivers for Southeast Alaska. Opening large swaths of the Tongass to clearcutting and road development will diminish the long term and intrinsic value of this unique environment in favor of shortsighted and destructive goals."
Taxpayers for Common Sense: “The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has cost taxpayers billions through underpriced timber sales and wasteful forest road construction. By dismantling the Roadless Rule, the administration is abandoning its fundamental responsibility as the economic steward of the National Forest System.”
Ryan Gellert, CEO, Patagonia: “Rolling back the Roadless Rule will threaten nearly 58 million acres of backcountry, including thousands of climbing routes, thousands of miles of trails and hundreds of miles of rivers,” said Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert. “Allowing roads into these areas would literally pave the way for extraction such as logging and drilling, and it’ll destroy habitat and exacerbate climate change. We stand with our NGO partners in defending the Roadless Rule, and I urge our community to do the same.”
Statements from Tribes
President Joel Jackson, Organized Village of Kake: “Our forests are just now healing from the extensive clear-cut logging in the past. Number one is food security, and our deer and moose are rebounding. The remaining old growth timber is so important for providing shelter, the berries, and our medicines. It provides shade for our streams to keep them cool so our salmon can return year after year. We are the people of the forest and salmon people. Salmon has sustained us for thousands of years.”
President Mike Jones, Organized Village of Kasaan: “The Roadless Rule has worked well for our Tribe and our community by helping to protect customary and traditional uses of our lands and waters, and the fish, wildlife, trees and plants. This helps us honor our ancestors and provide for current and future generations. It would be a grave mistake to roll back these protections. The Roadless Rule must continue to be upheld across the Tongass National Forest.”
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community: “We the people of Kichxáan are the Tongass. You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska released this statement & formal letter: Tlingit & Haida is deeply concerned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to rescind Roadless Rule protections for the Tongass National Forest. This action was taken without any prior consultation with our Tribe or other Southeast Alaska tribes. As a sovereign Tribal nation, we do not recognize the validity of federal actions impacting our traditional homelands when undertaken without meaningful government-to-government consultation, as required by law and respect for our inherent sovereignty.
The Tongass is more than an ecosystem—it is our home. It is the foundation of our identity, our culture, and our way of life.
We understand the need for sustainable industries and viable resource development in Southeast Alaska. Our communities need opportunities for economic growth, but that growth must be guided by those who call this place home. It must be done with us—not over us.
We stand ready to engage in decision-making processes that affect our ancestral lands. Any action that fails to include tribal nations is not only shortsighted—it is a failure to uphold the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities and a direct affront to our sovereignty.
Tlingit & Haida has formally called on the USDA to suspend this decision until meaningful consultation is held with tribal nations, as required under federal law and trust obligations.
Randy Kritkausky, a Federally Enrolled Member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation: “Repeal of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule would literally make permanent and devastating inroads into protected National Forests which are, for many Indigenous Peoples, our primary connection with unspoiled ancestral lands. This threat is not only ecological, it is profoundly spiritual.”
Rich Holschuh of the Atowi Project: "Intact wild places belong to themselves and request our respectful non-interference. Their continual presence affirms with us the balance of life and our place in the whole."
Statements from Sporting and Recreation Groups
Leda Huta, Vice President of Government Relations, issued this statement for American Rivers: “This is a major blow to our nation’s efforts to protect our most important source of clean drinking water, and conservation efforts nationwide. Protecting public lands is an efficient way to protect a significant portion of our nation’s finite water supply. Overturning this rule flies in the face of good stewardship of our outdoor heritage and natural resources.”
Chris Wood, Chief Executive of Trout Unlimited: “This is a bad day for American anglers and hunters who care deeply about protecting our last best fish and wildlife habitats.” Wood, who helped develop the 2001 Roadless Rule when he worked for the Forest Service, told the Washington Post: The administration’s decision “feels a little bit like a solution in search of a problem. There are provisions within the roadless rule that allow for wildfire fighting. My hope is once they go through a rulemaking process, and they see how wildly unpopular and unnecessary this is, common sense will prevail.” Wood was also quoted in the Los Angeles Times saying the policy is “one of the most significant and popular conservation achievements in the history of the United States. Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the Forest Service, once described conservation as ‘the application of common sense to common problems for the common good. Let’s hope common sense prevails and the administration reconsiders its proposal.”
Kaden McArthur, Backcountry Hunter & Anglers’ Director of Policy and Government Relations: “The Roadless Rule was never about closing roads or locking people out. It allows for exceptional backcountry recreation and includes exceptions for access to inholdings, mineral leases, and timber projects that reduce fire risk or benefit wildlife habitat. But let’s be clear: our national forests already have twice as many miles of roads as the entire U.S. National Highway System. Repealing the Roadless Rule isn’t about improving forest management—it’s about expanding a development network that threatens intact landscapes hunters, anglers, and wildlife can’t afford to lose.”
Louis Geltman, Vice President of Policy and Government Relations at Outdoor Alliance: “Roadless areas on our country’s National Forests comprise some of the most outstanding outdoor recreation areas anywhere. These are the landscapes where adventure is really possible and where you can go to truly be in awe of our National Forests. Attempting to roll back the Roadless Rule would be a short-sighted, and deeply unpopular assault on America’s public lands values.”
Will Harlan, Senior Editor at Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine: “Roadless areas are the heart of recreation, especially in Appalachia. Rescinding roadless area protection threatens the trout streams and iconic trails that attract millions to our region each year. Our roadless areas are especially valuable and vulnerable in the East, where we have fewer public lands. Roadless areas are our core areas of recreation and raw wildness that adventurers see. We—along with our readers and hikers, mountain bikers, anglers, hunters, paddlers, climbers, and outdoor adventurers across the Southeast—oppose any rollbacks to these treasured landscapes.”
John McGlenn, President of Washington Wildlife Federation which represents hunters and anglers around the state: “The areas of our national forests without roads are often some of the best habitat for fish and wildlife. These refuges are critical to ensuring that we are able to pass on this legacy to future generations.”
Hilary Eisen, Policy Director at Winter Wildlands Alliance: “Roadless areas are incredibly important for winter recreation. They provide the quiet, wild character that defines much of what people love about backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, and ice climbing.”
Philip Darden, Executive Director at Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association: “In the Southeast, truly wild public lands are a rare commodity. Most of our federal forests are crisscrossed by roads, breaking up wildlife habitat, segmenting our trails, and eroding that deep sense of wilderness so many of us seek. Roadless areas are some of the last remaining strongholds of remote, intact forest in our region. They offer clean water, resilient wildlife habitat, and a quiet refuge for human-powered adventure. Weakening the Roadless Rule would further fragment these already limited spaces and continue to reduce the amount of quality backcountry experiences we have on our sacred public lands.”
Mike Reardon, Executive Director at the Carolina Climbers Coalition: Contiguous landscapes without the interruption of roads, logging, and development are a rare treasure in our Southern Appalachian Mountains. Climbers and outdoor enthusiasts in our region have less and less areas to explore wilderness uninterrupted by industry. Rescinding the Roadless Rule will negatively impact the human powered outdoor recreation experience and the ecological integrity of our already limited wildlands.
Kathleen Baker, Executive Director of Runners for Public Lands: Roadless areas provide some of the best opportunities for runners to enjoy wild places across our national forests. We estimate that there are at least 26,000 miles of trails across the 58 million acres of inventoried roadless areas that are open and accessible to runners. The very characteristics that make roadless areas so special are those we stand to lose by opening them up to road-building and industrial logging. We join runners around the country in voicing our support for these important places, and we oppose this latest attempt to eliminate the Roadless Rule.
Claire Cutler, Trail Policy Specialist, Continental Divide Trail Coalition: "440 miles of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) run through Inventoried Roadless Areas, a designation that helps to ensure the remote, scenic nature of the trail remains intact now and for future generations. Along the length of the CDT, inventoried roadless areas preserve some of the iconic ridgeline views, remote experiences, watersheds, and wildlife and ecosystems that are central to the CDT experience. Hikers, horseback riders, hunters, anglers, and visitors and locals alike across the trail benefit from the unique opportunities that roadless areas provide. Rescission of the Roadless Rule would have irreversible impacts on the landscapes, cultures, economies, and livelihoods of the rural communities along the CDT who love where they live because of the wild, open spaces that they call home."
Statements from Elected Officials
New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham: Grisham pushed back at Rollins' characterization of the Roadless Rule driving the increase in wildfire acreage over the past three decades. "Climate change is the biggest problem in fuel and these damaging fires," Lujan Grisham told the meeting of western governors, to applause from the audience. (Reuters Story: Trump administration to open undeveloped forests to mining, logging)
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek posted on Twitter/X + Instagram: “The roadless rule covers nearly 2 million acres of federally owned land in Oregon and has protected vulnerable species of wildlife for decades. The Trump Administration’s decision to roll back long-standing protections for our public lands will have consequences for landscape resilience and related benefits like diverse ecosystems, clean water for communities, and recreational opportunities.”
House Natural Resources Committee Democrats posted on Twitter/X: ?? “60 million acres of our wildest forests are under attack. President Trump’s rollback of the Roadless Rule is a massive giveaway to billionaire polluters and the logging industry — and it will leave communities more vulnerable to wildfire, drought, and disaster.”
U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-CA) issued this statement: “Once again, President Trump is launching a dangerous attack on our public lands. This disastrous decision puts millions of acres of forests on the chopping block to serve his billionaire cronies in the mining and logging industries. By rolling back the popular “Roadless Rule,” the Trump administration is putting corporate profits over the long-term health of our national forests and the communities that depend on them.
“This reckless move opens the floodgates for clear-cut logging, road-building, and mining in some of our last untouched forests — threatening clean drinking water for millions, accelerating the climate crisis by destroying vital carbon sinks, and trampling on the rights of Tribes and local communities. Our national forests are not mere woodlots; they are invaluable natural treasures that safeguard clean water, preserve critical wildlife habitat, and provide essential spaces for recreation and solace.
“Americans and future generations deserve healthy forests, clean water, and a livable climate — not the wreckage left behind by Trump’s reckless giveaways. We will not let this stand.”
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) posted on Bluesky and Twitter/X: “The man who paved over the Rose Garden is declaring open season on our national forests. This undermines decades of conservation efforts in our last untouched forests, prioritizes corporate profits over outdoor recreation, and threatens clean drinking water and wildlife habitats. We will fight this.”
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member, issued this statement slamming the Trump Administration’s decision that strips protections of millions of acres of America’s national forests: “Once again, the Trump Administration is putting special interests first by torching protections for our national forests. Rolling back the Roadless Rule will make millions of acres vulnerable to destructive wildfires, carve up wildlife habitat, degrade opportunities for recreation, and threaten the headwaters our communities rely on. More than 80 percent of wildfires are started by humans within a half mile of a road – but now Trump is pretending that this rollback is necessary for fire prevention. This is nothing more than a reckless giveaway to private interests that puts lives and our lands at risk.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) posted on Twitter/X: “The Trump Admin’s decision to undo the Roadless Rule after 25 years undermines critical protections for our public lands. I’ve fought for the Roadless Area Conservation Act to protect Oregon’s natural beauty—this Admin is taking us backward!”
Reps. Andrea Salinas (D-OR) and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) issued a joint statement on the Trump Administration’s decision to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule and posted it on Twitter/X: “We are deeply disappointed by the Trump Administration’s damaging decision to roll back critical environmental protections for nearly 60 million acres of our nation’s most pristine forests. For more than two decades, the Roadless Rule has provided commonsense guidelines to protect critical untouched ecosystems within our national forests without jeopardizing wildfire prevention and response. The Administration’s decision is a bad deal for our climate, threatened species, and for all of us who cherish America’s natural wonders. Together, we introduced the Roadless Area Conservation Act to codify the Roadless Ruleand ensure consistent, dependable protections for these critical landscapes. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to reverse this disastrous decision.”
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, Ranking Member of Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, issued this statement: “The USDA’s decision to open 58 million acres of federal forests and grasslands to private industry is just the latest example of this Administration’s total disregard for our public lands. There’s a reason why communities, businesses, sporting groups, tribes, and other stakeholders have stood in adamant opposition to this repeal: These roadless areas are invaluable, irreplaceable, and bring immeasurable benefits to our country—from safeguarding clean drinking water and critical habitats to supporting local outdoor recreation economies and representing sacred Indigenous sites. They deserve to be preserved and protected, not pawned off to destructive industries. That’s why I’m proud to support the Roadless Area Conservation Act and will continue to do everything in my power to protect our environment and conserve our natural resources.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) posted on Twitter/X: “First they tried to sell off our public lands to the highest bidder. Now the Trump administration is rolling back protections for over a million acres of Arizona’s forests, increasing wildfire risk. My bill with @SenatorCantwell would ensure they stay protected.”
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) posted on Twitter/X: “Trump just trying to revoke a decade-old rule that protected tens of millions of acres of national forest land –– leaving California’s precious public lands vulnerable to unrestricted logging and construction. We’re fighting back.”
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR): “If the Trump administration was serious about addressing wildfire and forest management challenges, it would be investing in proven wildfire prevention tools. More roads, which we KNOW increase the probability of fires happening -- on top of firing federal employees who fight fire -- is only going to increase the risk of devastating infernos. I will continue use my position as a senior Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to urge the Forest Service to use their limited resources in the ways that best protect vulnerable communities.”
Former U.S. Representative from Ohio Dennis Kucinich: “Roadless areas safeguard the drinking water for an estimated 60 million Americans, so the action by the Secretary will certainly be open to legal challenge. Furthermore, stripping clean water and other health and environmental protections from 58.5 million acres of America’s national forests is a direct assault on the health of the American people. Roadless areas are home to thousands of species of wildlife, including hundreds that are threatened with extinction. They store untold millions of tons of carbon in their soils and canopies, helping to stabilize our climate in this era of rising extremes. Opening these last great wildlands to mass extraction, roadbuilding, and industrial logging will bring fragmentation, erosion, invasive species, polluted waterways, and more human-caused wildfires, not less. The claim that this will reduce fire risk is a dangerous lie. Science tells us that roadbuilding and logging increase ignition risk and fuel flammability. This means more forest fires. This is a cynical attack on America’s public land which is contrary to the organizing principles of Make America Health Again. We must stand for the health of our people, our water, and our land. America's forests are not corporate assets to be liquidated for campaign donors and carted off as loot. They are a living inheritance of the American people and must be protected. I call on this administration to rescind this disastrous rollback before irreversible harm is done to the land and to our land which makes America so beautiful.”
Clinton Presidential Center: The Center posted an informational video on Facebook explaining that roadless areas are 4x LESS likely to catch fire than areas with roads and logging, according to a 25-year study by the Wilderness Study.
Eric Melson, Ward 1 Council Member, Missoula MT City Council: "Missoula’s transformation from an industry town with smoke-choked skies to a thriving outdoor recreation hub is a testament to our community's commitment to conservation and smart growth. Today, our economy is powered by outdoor recreation and our identity is shaped by clean air, healthy forests, and public lands that are open and accessible to all. But recent actions to rescind the Roadless Rule threaten to unravel decades of progress—putting millions of acres of backcountry at risk of extractive activities and irreversible damage. That’s why the City of Missoula recently adopted a resolution in support of public lands and demanding public lands remain protected, funded, and accessible to every Missoulian, Montanan and American. Protecting these irreplaceable landscapes isn’t just an environmental responsibility—it’s an investment in our future.”
Secretary Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Agency via Twitter/X: Nearly 60 million acres of pristine national forest lands — home to old-growth trees, critical wildlife, and clean water — are protected under the federal Roadless Rule, a landmark conservation policy established under President Clinton.
But those protections are now at risk. The Trump administration has proposed repealing the rule, opening the door to expanded logging, drilling and mining — even in fire-prone forests already under stress from climate change. ??? "It's a cause for not only concern, but alarm," says CNRA Secretary @WadeCrowfoot
Statements from Other Americans (Firefighters, Authors, Scientists, Former Forest Service Staff)
Mike Dombeck, Former Chief of US Forest Service: “Roadless area conservation is a down payment on the well-being of future generations. Under [the Roadless Rule], more than 58.5 million acres of roadless areas will continue to cleanse the water for downstream use by millions of Americans nationwide. They will continue to serve as a refuge for native plant and animal species and a bulwark against the spread of nonnative invasive species. As a baseline for natural habitats and ecosystems, they will continue to offer rare opportunities for study, research, and education. Finally, they will continue to offer terrific opportunities for hunting, fishing, and other dispersed forms of recreation on large, undisturbed landscapes where visitors can find privacy and solitude. As Aldo Leopold once put it, our remaining unroaded wildlands are a national treasure, a ‘wealth to the human spirit.’”
Dale Bosworth, Chief, USDA Forest Service (Ret.): “The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule was a landmark accomplishment of the USDA Forest Service. Our nation's Inventoried Roadless Areas protect essential headwaters, save taxpayers money by directing forestry activities to appropriate landscapes, and provide unparalleled opportunities for families seeking backcountry experiences in settings that allow for a wider range of recreational access than designated Wilderness. Importantly, the Roadless Rule secures these benefits while also providing line officers full power to preemptively reduce wildfire danger to communities, and to fight fires when necessary. The Roadless Rule is working for America's National Forest System and it's working for the American taxpayer. As we say, ‘if it ain't broke, don't fix it.’"
Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE). “Roadless areas are some of the most wildfire-resilient landscapes in North America because they are the least degraded by industrial logging and road-building that would have converted fire-adapted native forests into fire-prone tree farms, and provided road access for human-caused ignitions from careless recreationists and sociopathic arsonists. We need to be more strategic and selective with the places we put young bodies to fight fires, and these should be near at-risk communities, not in rugged, remote wildlands. Tearing open roadless areas to industrial logging and road-building will do wildland firefighters no favors--just the opposite."
Dave Mertz, Retired, US Forest Service, Natural Resources Staff Officer, Black Hills National Forest: "I am very disappointed to hear that USDA is attempting to rescind the Roadless Rule. I believe this is short-sighted and does not consider the future impacts on these areas. Opening these special areas up to road construction and timber harvesting, it will fundamentally change these areas for the worse. I say this as a former Forest Service Natural Resource officer. Not everywhere needs to be opened up to large-scale forest management. Roadless areas provide invaluable ecological benefits. Let's leave them as they are."
Carson States, Wildland Firefighter: Repealing the Roadless Rule unnecessarily and haphazardly introduces the risk of human-caused ignitions from sources like exhaust sparks, dragging chains, and negligent roadside activity from vehicular recreators and industrial operators alike; all in remote areas where viable escape routes and emergency medical access are limited. It puts firefighters deeper into landscapes that are logistically hard to defend and geographically far from human values at risk.
Lee Hart, Current Executive Director of the Alaska Outdoor Alliance (speaking as Lee Hart, not the entirety of AOA):“Rescinding the Roadless Rule undermines years of work in Southeast Alaska to build a regenerative economy—one that protects the Tongass’ lands and waters, supports sustainable livelihoods, and honors cultural traditions. It’s a step backward at a time when Tongass communities are working hard to shape a healthier, more resilient future.”
Rick Bass, Geologist, Wildlife biologist, Author: “That this rescinding comes from the Department of Agriculture is particularly absurd. Our roadless lands have some of our last remaining old and mature forests (usually in inaccessible places; that’s why they’re still roadless). They serve as carbon sinks, which slow the rate of climate change, which–left unlogged–would help agriculture. The Trump administration appears to be in deep over their head with regard to science, and much else.”
Author Ben Goldfarb, posting on Twitter/X: “So many reasons that rescinding the roadless rule is catastrophic, but, to make one obvious point, the logic is dumb. Trump Admin claims we need roads for fire mitigation, yet vast majority of fires *occur* near roads. They're worsening risk. #roadecology” plus this second post on Twitter/X: “Perhaps gauche to quote your own book, but I think CROSSINGS's section on the Roadless Rule gets at something fundamental: that to designate roadless places asserts that national forests have value—for wildlife, water, slow recreation—beyond mere timber extraction. #roadecology”
Author and Environmentalist Bill McKibben: "The crucial economic uses of our national forests and rangelands are for recreation and soaking up water that would flood our communities; these last remaining roadless areas are also spiritual oases. Punching roads through them is just vandalism.”
David Foster, Director Emeritus at Harvard Forest, Harvard University: “For more than a quarter century the Roadless Rule has protected nearly 60 million acres of public land that is critical to nature and society. The Rule maintains intact wildland areas across diverse forests that support unique habitat and are of deep importance to indigenous people. The Rule should be supported and maintained.”
Dusty LaChapelle, Engineer with Lake Valley Fire Protection District, as quoted in Cal Matters: “We can get a hold of a lot of the fires already without having to build more roads. Personally, that’d be hard for me to justify going in there to punch in more roads for the possibility of a fire happening there.”
William R Moomaw, Professor Emeritus of International Environmental Policy, Fletcher School Tufts University, and Distinguished Visiting Scientist, Woodwell Climate Research Center, 5-time IPCC lead author: “The Roadless Area Conservation Rule is the most important means we have for maintaining forest ecosystems as essential components of Earth’s Operating System. If global forests had not been accumulating carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, current concentrations would have been achieved in the 1960’s and today, concentrations would be an unlivable 545 ppm instead of 427ppm. Our protected roadless areas contributed significantly to this outcome. The increase in wildfires in Canada is directly caused by induced drought from over harvesting of their forests. These out of control fires are not occurring in the nearby protected roadless areas of the Tongass National Forest, which is a critical resilient ecosystem.”
Ryan Williams, Conservation Biologist: “Inventoried Roadless Areas provide the greatest opportunity for ecological stabilization in an ever-degrading landscape. They represent some of our wildest places and a stronghold for innumerable native species. To lose them would be a national tragedy.”
Christopher Servheen, Ph.D. Retired Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: “The future of wildlife and intact healthy ecosystems on public lands depends on maintaining roadless areas and limiting the numbers of new roads and associated motorized use on the National Forests. There are already more than 370,000 miles of roads on National Forest lands. Roadless areas on Forest Service lands are increasingly important to the survival of many wildlife species because most wildlife species actively avoid roads and associated motorized activities. There exists years of comprehensive science on Forest Service lands that demonstrates that animals like grizzly bears and elk avoid roaded areas and actively seek out roadless areas. These animals depend on roadless areas for their survival. A key part of recovering grizzly bears involved reducing road densities in important wildlife habitat areas on Forest Service lands. As recreation pressure and the use of motorized access increases on public lands, roadless areas become even more critically important to the survival of many wildlife species. Forest Service lands that are unroaded are the only places that most wildlife can still use without the constant stress that comes from avoiding motorized road activity.”
Doug Peacock, former U.S. Army Green Beret and author of “Grizzly Years”: “The Roadless Rule is of absolute necessity for the survival of individual species. My candidate happens to be the grizzly bear, listed in the lower 48 as "Threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. I served as a Green Beret in the Vietnam War through two tours of duty as a combat medic. I spent much of that time providing emergency medical care to the critically injured, many of them women and children. One of the things that got me through that experience was a road map of Wyoming and Montana I always carried with me. I kept it hidden in the notebook in which I was supposed to keep my military notes. I stared at it, especially the blank spaces—the grizzly country—traveling in my mind over the ridges and peaks into hidden basins and high cirques. Ideal critical habitat for the grizzly is pristine wild country--that which doesn't exist where roads are near. Species like the great bear fail to survive without the habitat conditions of their genesis--which then and now are roadless.”
Tom Puchlerz, former U.S. Forest Service Supervisor for the Bridger-Teton and Tongass National Forests: “The 2001 Roadless Rule has been working for the past two decades and we don't need to fix it! Areas managed under the rule provide unparalleled recreational opportunities and outstanding fish and wildlife habitat while still allowing the Forest Service to manage these areas appropriately. The ill-advised desire to open these lands to development is unfounded scientifically and economically and in the long run will cost the American taxpayer more than the short term gains found in development. I always think back to Gifford Pinchot and the "Greatest Good for the Greatest Number". Six hundred plus public meetings and thousands of comments helped develop the 2001 Roadless Rule, a rule that withstood legal challenges and a rule that I believe Pinchot would have been proud of. What has changed that would make one want to rescind one of the most significant conservation achievements of this century other than corporate greed?”
Alexander ‘Zander’ Evans, PhD., Executive Director, Forest Stewards Guild: “The Forest Stewards Guild members and staff across the country actively manage forests for timber, water, recreation, wildlife, and other values. We know that roads offer opportunities to manage forests, but they come with risks of introducing invasive species, degrading streams, growing maintenance costs, and unwanted human-caused wildfires, so their use should be minimized and roadless areas are crucial.”
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