"The US Forest Service will begin the process to repeal the agency’s 2001 Roadless Rule, which protects millions of acres of national forest land from logging nationwide, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Monday.
The Roadless Rule has been “disastrous” to Western states, where most of the land is owned by the federal government, Rollins said, speaking at the Western Governors’ Association’s annual meeting in Santa Fe, N.M.
The “misguided” rule prohibits the US Forest Service from thinning and logging, she said. Rescinding the rule will prevent the US from relying on foreign timber producers, she said.
It’s being repealed after Rollins declared an emergency in national forests, requiring widespread logging. The emergency is allowing the US Forest Service to “get more logs on trucks” as the agency becomes “aggressive in our efforts to increase American timber production,” Rollins said.
The 2001 Roadless Rule, finalized in the last days of the Clinton Administration, applies to nearly all states with national forests, including Eastern states."
Bobby Magill reports for Bloomberg Environment June 23, 2025.
SEE ALSO:
"Trump To Strip Protections From Millions Of Acres Of National Forests" (Washington Post)
"Trump Administration Plans To Rescind Rule Blocking Logging On National Forest Lands" (AP)
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