The Trump administration plans to repeal protections for roadless forests in the U.S.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed completely repealing the 2001 rule protecting roadless forest areas. This decision could potentially open up nearly 45 million acres of national forests to road construction, drilling, and logging, according to The Guardian World.
The U.S. Forest Service, part of the Department of Agriculture, officially announced on August 18 that it had submitted a proposal to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. This rule was introduced by President Bill Clinton’s administration toward the end of his second term amid concerns about unsustainable logging in national forests.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that the current restrictions hinder efforts to improve forest health and reduce the risk of wildfires. Forest Service Director Tom Schultz noted that more than 40% of designated roadless areas, primarily in the western part of the country, have a high or very high fire risk. According to him, since 2014, measures to reduce hazardous combustible material have been carried out on only 5% of such areas.
For more breaking news, follow the UA.News Telegram channel.
Environmental organizations have criticized the initiative. Sierra Club representative Alex Craven stated that the rule had previously allowed targeted measures to reduce wildfire risk but restricted industrial development and the construction of new roads. The Natural Resources Defense Council warned that the changes could affect, in particular, the Tahoe National Forest in California and the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Tongass is the largest roadless forest area in the U.S. and home to grizzly and black bears, wolves, and bald eagles.
The public will have until September 21 to submit comments on the proposal.
