Latest news with #RoadlessAreaConservationRule
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Map: These wild California forests could open to logging under Trump plan
The Trump administration is seeking to undo a 25-year-old rule that shields nearly a third of U.S. Forest Service lands from roads and logging, including large swaths of California, notably areas near Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Giant Sequoia National Monument. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who announced the plan to rescind the 'roadless rule' this week, called the protections outdated, saying they were preventing responsible timber production and necessary wildfire prevention work. Conservation groups, however, shot back that the move would simply encourage destructive logging ventures in ecologically important areas. They pledged to fight the action as it winds through what promises to be a lengthy and litigious repeal process. The Roadless Area Conservation Rule covers about 59 million acres of Forest Service lands, mostly in Western states. The protections were initiated by President Bill Clinton to try to stop the encroachment of industry in some of the last untouched parts of national forests. Many have criticized the measure, though, as an end run on the Wilderness Act because it establishes safeguards similar to wilderness areas without getting congressional approval as required by the act. In California, 4.4 million acres across 20 national forests are protected by the rule, according to the Forest Service. It's nearly 5% of the state's total lands and includes stretches of such heavily visited forests as the Tahoe, Sequoia, Sierra, Stanislaus and Inyo. Many of the spots that are protected border wilderness areas and national parks. 'Most people think they're in wilderness when they step in,' said John Buckley, executive director of the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, a nonprofit that advocates for healthy landscapes. 'People use them as gateways to go through to get to wilderness areas' and to parks. Buckley and others describe some of the protected lands as ecological hot spots where the development of roads and timber operations would fragment sensitive habitat, disrupt wildlife and pollute watersheds. 'It would be short-sighted and arrogant for the American people to support the unleashing of chainsaws and the bulldozing of new roads into the small percentage of our public lands that have managed to stay pristine, wild, roadless areas,' Buckley said. While enterprises such as oil drilling and mining aren't expressly prohibited under the roadless rule, the policy has served as a de facto ban because roads are required for such endeavors. Supporters of the rule say new roads would inevitably bring these commercial activities. Speaking this week at a meeting of the Western Governors' Association, Secretary Rollins said not building roads into these areas is worse. It prevents the Forest Service from ensuring that important firefighting and fire mitigation work is done, she said. She also said it stifles economic development, which is at odds with President Trump's many executive orders calling for greater resource extraction on federal lands. 'This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation's forests,' Rollins said. 'It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land.' The timber trade widely welcomed the proposed rollback, though opening new public lands for private logging is no guarantee of increased timber production. Building roads into these areas will be costly. Under the Trump administration, the Forest Service has cut the staffing that helps plan and oversee logging contracts. The timber industry, especially in California, has lost capacity to harvest wood. Matt Dias, president and CEO of the California Forestry Association, said foresters would be happy to have more opportunities to work with the federal government on projects that can increase forest health and fire safety. 'We are very pleased that they're considering rolling back this particular policy, if it will help us get to where we want to be,' he said. The announcement of the repeal kicks off an administrative process that requires a technical review of what the impact would be as well as inviting public comment. This could take months, a year or even longer. If the rule is changed or eliminated, litigation will almost certainly follow. Environmentalists insist that little good will come of revoking the rule. They say the Trump administration's promotion of the action as a fire prevention measure is simply propaganda. 'Logging, that's what this is about,' said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. 'They don't like anything that puts a stop to commercialization and exploitation. … Stripping protections from these last unfragmented national forests risks our drinking water, plants, animals and some of America's most beautiful wild places.'
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
59 Million Acres of National Forests Opened Up for Logging
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it is rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, removing longstanding federal protections that barred road construction and logging on nearly 59 million acres of national forest land. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the decision at a meeting of the Western Governors' Association in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Monday. The move will end over two decades of restrictions, immediately permitting road building and timber harvest in undeveloped stretches of federal forests—including vast tracts in Alaska, Utah and Montana. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, center, announced during a meeting of the Western Governors' Association in Santa Fe on June 23, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, center, announced during a meeting of the Western Governors' Association in Santa Fe on June 23, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule. USDA Why It Matters The elimination of the rule will affect almost 30 percent of all National Forest System lands, with critics warning of harm to wildlife, water quality and habitats. Supporters, including several Western state officials, said lifting the restrictions would improve wildfire management and boost rural economies. The decision reflected broader Trump administration efforts to promote domestic resource extraction and deregulation. What To Know The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, enacted in 2001, had prohibited road construction and timber harvest on approximately 58.5 million acres of designated "roadless" national forests. The USDA called the rule "outdated" and argued that it contradicted Congressional intent and limited forest managers' ability to address threats like wildfire. The USDA stated that nearly 60 percent of Utah's national forest lands, 58 percent of Montana's, and 92 percent of Alaska's Tongass National Forest had been subject to Roadless Rule protections, inhibiting what the agency described as "properly managed" forest activity, such as fire prevention and responsible timber production. Rollins said the rule posed "real harm" to millions of forest acres and claimed it resulted in a 25 percent decrease in forestry sector economic development in Utah, according to the state's own estimate. She further argued that the change would open "a new era of consistency and sustainability" for forest management, with local managers making "the best decisions to protect people, communities, and resources based on their unique local conditions." Environmental organizations denounced the rollback, warning that it exposed nearly 60 million acres of wildlands—some of the nation's largest roadless and old-growth forests—to logging, road construction and environmental degradation. A file photo shows Misty Fjords National Monument, part of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, on July 11, 2012. A file photo shows Misty Fjords National Monument, part of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, on July 11, 2012. Jon Elswick/AP Photo What People Are Saying Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said: "Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule. This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation's forests. It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land." Republican Alaska Representative Nick Begich wrote on X: "Alaska's forests are one of our state's greatest natural assets and the "Roadless Rule" has long stifled responsible forest management, blocked access to critical resources, and halted economic opportunity particularly in Alaska, where 92% of the Tongass National Forest was off-limits. The Roadless Rule was never about responsible conservation; it was about bureaucratic overreach that undermined the ability of local forest managers and communities to effectively manage their lands." Alex Craven, forest campaign manager for environmental organization Sierra Club, said in a statement: "Once again, the Trump administration is ignoring the voices of millions of Americans to pursue a corporate giveaway for his billionaire buddies. Stripping our national forests of roadless rule protections will put close to 60 million acres of wildlands across the country on the chopping block." What Happens Next A formal notice rescinding the Roadless Rule is expected from the USDA in the coming weeks. Legal challenges and further policy debates over federal forest management are anticipated.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump rescinds protections on 59m acres of national forest to allow logging
The Trump administration will rescind protections that prevent logging on nearly a third of national forest lands, including the largest old growth forest in the country, the agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, announced on Monday. The announcement will be followed by a formal notice rescinding the 'roadless rule', a nickname for the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, in coming weeks, the Associated Press reports. The rule prohibits road building and logging on all national forest land without roads, accounting for about 59m acres (24m hectares) of US national forest land. Rollins shared the news at a gathering of the Western Governors' Association in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where hundreds had gathered outside to protest against congressional efforts to sell off large swaths of public lands. There, the interior secretary, Doug Burgum, spoke of a new 'era of abundance' on public lands, describing Donald Trump's efforts to extract more natural resources for domestic manufacturing. 'President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to commonsense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule,' said Rollins. 'This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation's forests. It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land.' Republican lawmakers from western states celebrated the announcement while environmental groups expressed dismay. On social media, the Republican representative for Alaska, Nick Begich, said: 'Alaska's forests are one of our state's greatest natural assets and the 'Roadless Rule' has long stifled responsible forest management, blocked access to critical resources, and halted economic opportunity.' Related: Logging is quietly ravaging US forests. Trump is taking an axe to protections The Republican congresswoman Harriet Hageman of Wyoming also posted on social media, writing: 'This outdated policy has long hindered effective forest management.' Meanwhile, the Sierra Club's forest campaign manager, Alex Craven, said in a statement: 'Once again, the Trump administration is ignoring the voices of millions of Americans to pursue a corporate giveaway for his billionaire buddies. Stripping our national forests of roadless rule protections will put close to 60m acres of wildlands across the country on the chopping block. That means polluting our clean air and drinking water sources to pad the bottom lines of timber and mining companies – all while pursuing the same kind of mismanagement that increases wildfire severity.' In its announcement, the US Department of Agriculture cited concerns about increasing wildfire risk as reasoning for constructing roads through national forest land: 'Nearly 60% of forest service land in Utah is restricted from road development and is unable to be properly managed for fire risk. In Montana, it is 58%, and in Alaska's Tongass national forest, the largest in the country, 92% is impacted.' Journalist Ben Goldfarb, author of the book Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, questioned that logic on social media, writing: the 'vast majority of fires occur near roads. They're worsening risk'. The decision also aligns with Trump's executive order 'Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation', the USDA said, to 'get rid of overcomplicated, burdensome barriers that hamper American business and innovation'. During the latter part of Trump's first term, the federal government lifted restrictions on logging and road-building in the Tongass, something the Biden administration later reversed. Associated Press contributed reporting
IOL News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Trump administration plans to rescind roadless protections for national forests
The Tongass National Forest on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Image: Salwan Georges/The Washington Post The Trump administration has announced plans to rescind a decades-old rule that protects nearly 59 million acres of pristine national forest land, including 9 million acres in Alaska's Tongass National Forest. This controversial move, revealed during a meeting of Western governors in New Mexico, has ignited a fierce debate over environmental conservation and the future of logging in the United States. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that the administration would begin the process of rolling back protections for these roadless areas, which have been safeguarded since the late 1990s. If the rollback survives potential court challenges, it could open vast swaths of untouched land to logging and road construction. According to the Agriculture Department, this would affect approximately 30 percent of the land in the National Forest System, including 92 percent of Tongass, one of the last remaining intact temperate rainforests in the world. Critics of the rollback have expressed deep concern over the environmental implications of such a decision. Environmental groups have condemned the administration's plans and vowed to challenge the decision in court. Drew Caputo, vice president of litigation for lands, wildlife, and oceans at Earthjustice, stated, 'The roadless rule has protected 58 million acres of our wildest national forest lands from clear-cutting for more than a generation. The Trump administration now wants to throw these forest protections overboard so the timber industry can make huge profits from unrestrained logging.' The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, established during President Bill Clinton's administration, aimed to preserve increasingly scarce roadless areas in national forests. Conservationists argue that these lands are vital for protecting wildlife habitats that are threatened by development and large-scale timber harvests. Since the rule's implementation in 2001, it has been the subject of numerous court battles and political disputes. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ In contrast, the logging industry has welcomed the administration's decision. Scott Dane, executive director of the American Loggers Council, argued that federal forests are overgrown and unhealthy. He stated, 'Our forests are extremely overgrown, overly dense, unhealthy, dead, dying, and burning. To allow access into these forests, like we used to do prior to 2001, will enable forest managers to practice sustainable forest management.' Monday's announcement follows Trump's March 1 executive order instructing the Agriculture and Interior Departments to boost timber production, aiming to reduce wildfire risks and reliance on foreign imports. The administration frames the decision as a necessary step to enhance local management of forests and mitigate wildfire threats. Rollins claimed, 'This misguided rule prohibits the Forest Service from thinning and cutting trees to prevent wildfires. And when fires start, the rule limits our firefighters' access to quickly put them out.' However, critics argue that the administration's approach could exacerbate wildfire risks. They point out that the roadless rule already contains provisions for removing dangerous fuels, which the Forest Service has effectively utilised for years. Chris Wood, chief executive of the conservation group Trout Unlimited, remarked that the administration's decision 'feels a little bit like a solution in search of a problem.' As the debate continues, the fate of the roadless rule remains uncertain. The implications of this decision extend beyond logging and timber production; they touch upon the broader issues of environmental conservation and climate change. The outcome of this policy shift could have lasting effects on the nation's forests and the ecosystems they support.
Yomiuri Shimbun
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump to Strip Protections from Millions of Acres of National Forests
A decades-old rule protecting tens of millions of acres of pristine national forest land, including 9 million acres in Alaska's Tongass National Forest, would be rescinded under plans announced Monday by the Trump administration. Speaking at a meeting of Western governors in New Mexico, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the administration would begin the process of rolling back protections for nearly 59 million roadless acres of the National Forest System. If the rollback survives court challenges, it will open up vast swaths of largely untouched land to logging and roadbuilding. By the Agriculture Department's estimate, this would include about 30 percent of the land in the National Forest System, encompassing 92 percent of Tongass, one of the last remaining intact temperate rainforests in the world. In a news release, the department, which houses the U.S. Forest Service, criticized the roadless rule as 'outdated,' saying it 'goes against the mandate of the USDA Forest Service to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands.' Environmental groups condemned the decision and vowed to take the administration to court. 'The roadless rule has protected 58 million acres of our wildest national forest lands from clear-cutting for more than a generation,' said Drew Caputo, vice president of litigation for lands, wildlife and oceans for the environmental firm Earthjustice. 'The Trump administration now wants to throw these forest protections overboard so the timber industry can make huge money from unrestrained logging.' The Roadless Area Conservation Rule dates to the late 1990s, when President Bill Clinton instructed the Forest Service to come up with ways to preserve increasingly scarce roadless areas in the national forests. Conservationists considered these lands essential for species whose habitats were being lost to encroaching development and large-scale timber harvests. The protections, which took effect in 2001, have been the subject of court battles and sparring between Democrats and Republicans ever since. The logging industry welcomed the decision. 'Our forests are extremely overgrown, overly dense, unhealthy, dead, dying and burning,' said Scott Dane, executive director for the American Loggers Council, a timber industry group with members in 46 states. He said federal forests on average have about 300 trunks per acre, while the optimal density should be about 75 trunks. Dane said President Donald Trump's policies have been misconstrued as opening up national forests to unrestricted logging, while in fact the industry practices sustainable forestry management subject to extensive requirements. 'To allow access into these forests, like we used to do prior to 2001 and for 100 years prior to that, will enable the forest managers to practice sustainable forest management,' he said. Monday's announcement follows Trump's March 1 executive order instructing the Agriculture Department and the Interior Department to boost timber production, with an aim of reducing wildfire risk and reliance on foreign imports. Because of its vast wilderness, environmental fragility and ancient trees, Alaska's Tongass National Forest became the face of the issue. Democrats and environmentalists argued for keeping the roadless rule in place, saying it would protect critical habitat and prevent the carbon dioxide trapped in the forest's trees from escaping into the atmosphere. Alaska's governor and congressional delegation have countered that the rule hurts the timber industry and the state's economy. After court battles kept the rules in place, Trump stripped it out in 2020, during his first term, making it legal for logging companies to build roads and cut down trees in the Tongass. President Joe Biden restored the protections, restricting development on roughly 9.3 million acres throughout the forest. Trump officials have gone further this time, targeting not just the rule's application in Alaska but its protections nationwide. In her comments Monday, Rollins framed the decision as an effort to reduce the threat of wildfires by encouraging more local management of the nation's forests. 'This misguided rule prohibits the Forest Service from thinning and cutting trees to prevent wildfires,' Rollins said. 'And when fires start, the rule limits our firefighters' access to quickly put them out.' The Forest Service manages nearly 200 million acres of land, and its emphasis on preventing wildfires from growing out of control has become more central to its mission as the blazes have become more frequent and intense because of climate change. Yet critics of the administration's approach have said Trump officials have worsened the danger by firing several thousand Forest Service employees this year. Advocates for the roadless rule said ending it would do little to reduce the threat of wildfires, noting that the regulation already contains an exception for removing dangerous fuels that the Forest Service has used for years. Chris Wood, chief executive of the conservation group Trout Unlimited, said 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,' Wood said. 'My hope is once they go through a rulemaking process, and they see how wildly unpopular and unnecessary this is, common sense will prevail.'
