U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced during a meeting of the Western Governors’ Association in New Mexico this past June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule.

The USDA reports rescinding this rule will remove prohibitions on road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest on nearly 59 million acres of the National Forest System, allowing for fire prevention and responsible timber production.

Lincoln County Response

For Lincoln County, the Roadless Rule has been part of their work for over two decades.

“It’s as big as air quality,” Lincoln County Commission Chairman Kent Connelly responded to the decision. “Not only is there room this is exactly what we have written in our comments for 20 years.”

Connelly added, “It allows us to access the mature dead fall timber and hundreds of thousands of acres that they are just letting burn.”

He concluded, “It’s the very well being of forest health management. It’s a game changer and we are one of the most affected forests  in the nation.”

In the formal notice issued to the WGA Secretary Brooke Rollins advised the rule is “overly restrictive and poses real harm to millions of acres of our national forests.”

She further noted, “In total, 30% of National Forest System lands are impacted by this rule. For example, nearly 60% of forest service land in Utah is restricted from road development and is unable to be properly managed for fire risk.”

Additional comparisons noted  58% in Montana and in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the largest in the country, is 92% impacted.

Her report to the governors said, “This also hurts jobs and economic development across rural America. Utah alone estimates the Roadless Rule alone creates a 25% decrease in economic development in the forestry sector.”

“Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive Roadless Rule,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation’s forests. It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land.”

She also advised the action aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation to get rid of overcomplicated, burdensome barriers that hamper American business and innovation. It will also allow more decisions to be made at the local level, helping land managers make the best decisions to protect people, communities and resources based on their unique local conditions.

As it relates to fire, Sec. Rollins said the 58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless areas covered under the 2001 Roadless Rule, 28 million acres are in areas at high or very high risk of wildfire. Rescinding this rule will allow this land to be managed at the local forest level, with more flexibility to take swift action to reduce wildfire risk and help protect surrounding communities and infrastructure.