U.S. Forest Service announces recission of Roadless Rule in National Forests

Key Takeaways

On August 29, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule, which prohibited road construction, reconstruction and logging on almost 45 million acres of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land. Repealing the Roadless Rule would have a considerable impact on forested counties as USFS shifts to more active forest management on previously protected areas.

What is the Roadless Rule?

The USFS adopted the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, commonly referred to as the Roadless Rule, in 2001 to protect portions of the National Forest System that qualified as inventoried roadless areas – portions of forest with limited or no human development. Roadless Rule protection is a special designation that prohibits road construction, road reconstruction and timber harvesting on portions of USFS land. During the first Trump Administration, the USFS initiated rulemaking proceedings to exempt Tongass National Forest in Alaska from Roadless Rule designation, however that action was reversed by the Biden Administration. 

On June 23, Secretary Rollins announced that the USFS intended to repeal the 2001 rule in its entirety across the entire National Forest System. The announcement reflected administration priorities as expressed in Executive Order 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation. The current recission would remove roadless status from all 45 million acres of USFS land currently under the federal rule’s jurisdiction. Idaho and Colorado, which are subject to state-specific roadless area conservation rules, would not be affected. The USFS manages approximately 193 million acres total across the U.S.

The notice of proposed rulemaking was publicized in the Federal Register on August 29.

What is the impact on counties?

As partners in federal forest management, forested counties are heavily impacted by the Roadless Rule. The prohibition of transportation infrastructure construction and timber harvest on millions of acres of USFS land adversely affects local communities who are best suited to make forest management decisions in conjunction with state and federal partners. 

Areas currently covered by the rule see a high incidence of wildfire, and localized decision-making would provide counties with more tools to respond to these devastating events. As USDA considers the impact of repealing the Roadless Area Rule, NACo encourages a framework for close collaboration between counties and forest managers to ensure that decisions are made in accordance with the local need and expertise that counties can provide.

How can I make the county voice heard?

The public comment period on the proposed rulemaking is open until September 19, 2025. Impacted counties are encouraged to provide written comments about the effects of repealing the Roadless Rule. NACo has drafted a template letter for counties that can be accessed here. Comments can be submitted via the rulemaking notice on Regulations.gov here. 

NACo will continue to monitor developments related to the rulemaking process.