The Trump administration announced last week that it would rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a protection established in 2001 that has restricted development in old-growth forests for more than two decades. The Center for Biological Diversity released a report stating that the decision could expose approximately 7.4 million acres of endangered-species habitat and nearly 1,800 miles of protected rivers and streams to new threats, while making more than 45 million acres of national forests available for roads, drilling, and logging operations.
Administration officials justified the rollback by arguing that the rule represented “outdated restrictions” that have prevented forest management practices beneficial to forest health and wildfire risk reduction. Conservation organizations have strongly opposed the decision, contending that the protected forests support critical wildlife populations and provide essential services to human communities. Species at risk include grizzly bears and gray wolves in the Rocky Mountains, wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, Mexican spotted owls and Gila trout in the Southwest, and various rare plants and animals across multiple regions.
The potential impacts extend beyond wildlife habitat. Multiple regions depend on roadless forest areas for drinking water supplies. In Alaska, the Tongass National Forest supplies drinking water to over a dozen communities while supporting a commercial and sport fishing economy valued at approximately $1 billion annually. Similarly, forests in the Southwest provide substantial portions of water supplies to major cities including Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Albuquerque. In Georgia, roadless areas in the Chattahoochee National Forest protect headwaters that supply more than 70 percent of Atlanta’s drinking water to approximately 5 million residents.
The administration characterized the rollback as part of broader efforts to modernize forest management. Since returning to office earlier this year, the administration has permitted off-road vehicles on public lands and national parks, eliminated drilling-free zones near a New Mexico world heritage site, and ordered tree cutting across 280 million acres of national forests and public lands. Conservation groups argue that some species exist only in small, isolated populations where every acre of remaining intact habitat is essential for survival.
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