The U.S. Forest Service, acting under the direction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins, has formally announced their intention to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule.
The Roadless Rule prohibits new road construction or timber harvest on roughly 45 million acres of national forest land throughout America. These roadless areas contain some of the nation’s best hunting and fishing, as well as critical habitat and sources of clean water. The Roadless Rule was instituted in 2001, just before Bill Clinton left office, after more than a million comments from Americans who voiced their support for protecting vast swaths of the country’s forests.
Why The Repeal?
The Trump Administration wants to repeal the Roadless Rule for a few reasons, chief among them being timber harvest and increased economic opportunities in some of America’s more rural areas. Trump officials have also claimed that eliminating the Roadless Rule would allow for more access to fight and prevent wildfires, which have become increasingly severe in recent years.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, voiced his support for rescinding the Roadless Rule in a statement released by the USDA.
“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.”
Would It Help?
Roadless areas are steep, tough to access, and in many cases, building roads in them for timber harvest wouldn’t be economically feasible. In addition, the Forest Service itself admits that the Roadless Rule doesn’t prohibit or prevent hazardous fuel reduction. Prescribed burns and tree removal are currently allowed under the Roadless Rule.
Current Forest Service chief Tom Schultz was a timber lobbyist and executive before being tapped by President Donald Trump to head the agency. There are some calls of his apparent conflict of interest in this process, along with his previous statements about the Roadless Rule. In fact, Schultz opposed the rule during its initial proposal in 2000.
What This Means For Anglers
The Roadless Rule protects some of the country’s best fly fishing opportunities, including the entirety of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. But other areas are at risk of logging, mining, and new roads if the rule is rescinded. This includes many of the forests surrounding designated Wilderness Areas in Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Idaho, and Colorado. These forests are absolutely critical habitat for native trout, and represent some of the last strongholds for these fish anywhere in the world. Road construction and timber harvest directly threaten their continued survival, as those activities frequently segment habitat and dilute water quality.
Entire fisheries and species could be lost if the Roadless Rule is rescinded, and that creates a ripple effect throughout the rest of the ecosystem. And since many headwater streams are located in current roadless areas, diminishing water quality high in the mountains leads to lower water quality in the valleys – directly impacting the survival and growth of trout in our few remaining fisheries.
Voice Your Opinion
The public has an opportunity to weigh in on the Roadless Rule. Public comments are accepted on the proposal to rescind the rule until Sept. 21. You can submit your comments here.