U.S. Forest Service seeks comment on proposal to rescind 2001 Roadless Rule in National Forests

Key Takeaways

On August 19, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) published a notice of proposed rulemaking to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule. The rule prohibits road construction, reconstruction and most timber management on almost 45 million acres of National Forest land, and its repeal would give federal forest managers significant flexibility to manage forests in accordance with local need.

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Federally managed National Forest lands are national assets, but their impacts fall locally. Counties oppose the 2001 Roadless Rule as a one-size-fits-all management policy that has restricted active forest management. NACo urges USFS to adopt state-specific management policies for inventoried roadless areas that incorporate meaningful collaboration between counties and USFS.

Background

The USFS adopted the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, commonly referred to as the 2001 Roadless Rule, and applied it to portions of the National Forest System that qualified as inventoried roadless areas – portions of forest with limited or no human development. The rule prohibits road construction, road reconstruction and timber harvesting in designated roadless areas. Since the rule was instituted, it has severely curtailed active forest management in roadless areas.

On June 23, 2025, USFS announced its intention to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule in its entirety across the entire National Forest System and solicited public comment. NACo submitted comments expressing support for the rule’s repeal and its replacement with state-specific guidance. On August 20, 2026, USFS published a draft environmental impact statement and formally issued a proposed rulemaking to rescind the rule. Roadless areas in Idaho and Colorado are managed through state-specific rules and would not be affected by the proposed recission.  

County Impacts

Counties support local land managers’ flexibility to make forest management decisions that are attuned to the specific environmental and economic needs of National Forest units. As a nationwide planning rule, the 2001 Roadless Rule overrides foresters’ discretion and has led to a significant reduction in active forest management treatments in roadless areas. The effective closure of roadless areas also hinders responses to wildfires, and USFS reports that more than 40 percent of roadless areas are at high or very high wildfire risk.

Communities also rely on National Forest infrastructure for transportation and economic development, both of which are affected by the 2001 Roadless Rule. The repeal of the rule will return National Forest management to its statutory multiple-use sustained-yield purpose.

Next Steps

USFS is seeking public input on the proposed rulemaking through September 21, 2026, and counties are encouraged to submit comments to the rulemaking docket detailing the impacts of the 2001 Roadless Rule on community wellbeing. NACo will submit comments urging USFS to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule and provide state-specific rulemaking frameworks.  

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