The Forest Service Files to Rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule "In Its Entirety," Opening Nearly 45 Million Acres — About a Third of the National Forest System — to Roads and Logging
On August 18, 2026, the U.S. Forest Service filed a proposed rule to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule in its entirety, stripping road-building and timber-harvest prohibitions from roughly 44.7 million acres of national forest — about one-third of the National Forest System. Public comment runs through September 21, 2026. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins framed the repeal as wildfire policy, saying outdated restrictions had kept tens of millions of acres off-limits to treatment and had "tied the hands of local forest managers." Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said more than 40 percent of inventoried roadless areas — primarily in the West — carry high or very high wildfire hazard potential while only 5 percent have received hazardous fuels reduction treatment since 2014. No state is more affected than Alaska, which holds close to a third of the acreage; Colorado and Idaho have their own state-specific roadless rules and would not be covered by the repeal. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte welcomed the proposal as an end to Washington's "heavy thumb" on nearly 60 percent of Forest Service land in his state. Rep. Jared Huffman, the ranking Democrat on House Natural Resources, called it "reckless" — noting the administration is proposing thousands of miles of new roads in the middle of one of the worst fire seasons on record after firing thousands of Forest Service employees — and said Democrats would fight it in Congress. Wildland fire scientists signed a letter opposing the rescission, and conservation groups have signaled litigation.
“For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities. Today, we filed a proposal to restore authority to local forest managers who know the land best, removing the barriers that have kept them from doing the work the land demands.”