Process begins to end Roadless Rule

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is beginning the process to repeal the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule by issuing a notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and beginning rulemaking on the management of roadless areas in the National Forest System. Written comments on the scope of issues that should be evaluated are due by September 19, 2025, with a proposed rule, draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and associated public comment period expected by March 2026.

The 2001 Roadless Rule restricts road construction, reconstruction and timber harvest on about 44.7 million acres of inventoried roadless areas, except where state-specific rules exist. At the time of final rulemaking, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forest Service recognized the restricted practices as having “the greatest likelihood of altering and fragmenting landscapes, resulting in immediate, long-term loss of roadless area values and characteristics.”

If the rule is fully rescinded, decisions about road building and logging in these areas would shift to local forest officials and be guided by individual forest land management plans. The notice of intent explicitly states that eventual rulemaking will remove the Tongass National Forest in Alaska from the 2001 Roadless Rule, following Executive Order 14153, which aims to boost resource development in the state.

Policy resources for wildlife professionals: TWS Issue Statement on Management of Old-Growth Forest on the Pacific Coast of North America

Submit comments to USDA

Final rulemaking for the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule