Environmental organizations led by the Sierra Club announced that over one million comments were submitted during a public comment period opposing a proposed repeal of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule by the Trump administration.
The Roadless Rule, originally established in 2001, has protected millions of acres of national forest lands from road construction and logging activities for more than 25 years. The rule created nationwide protections limiting road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting in inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System. The Trump administration has proposed rescinding the rule and removing protections that currently cover 45 million acres of national forest across the country.
According to analysis of the comments submitted, 99% expressed support for maintaining the rule’s protections. Sierra Club representatives noted that the level of public opposition emerged despite a short comment period and the absence of public meetings held by the Forest Service. They contrasted the current process with the development of the original rule in 2001, which the Forest Service conducted through a robust public engagement process. During that earlier process, over 1.6 million comments were received, with 95% supporting a strong conservation rule.
In 2025, the Trump administration issued a Notice of Intent to repeal the Roadless Rule, which drew more than 600,000 comments during its respective comment period, with 99% supporting preservation of the rule. Environmental advocates emphasized that public polling consistently demonstrates widespread support for protecting remaining wild areas and national forest lands from development and resource extraction.
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