The Trump administration filed a proposal on Tuesday to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a move that could open nearly 45 million acres of national forest to road construction, drilling and logging. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins submitted the proposal through the US Forest Service.
The existing rule limits development on roughly 59 million acres, about 30 percent of the National Forest System. Under the proposed change, authority over roadless areas would shift to local national forest managers. More than 95 percent of affected land lies in 10 states, with the Tongass national forest in Alaska representing the largest single roadless area.
The public has until 21 September to comment on the plan. A 2025 Wilderness Society analysis found wildfire density is lowest in protected forest areas.