Rollback of "Roadless Rule" to allow logging and road construction in National Forests draws opposition from tribes and ecologists

Trump administration opens 21-day public comment period Aug. 29-Sept. 19

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Cedar Creek Falls, one of the most scenic hiking destinations  in San Diego's East County, is in a roadless portion of Cleveland National Forest. 

August 29, 2025 (San Diego) -- The Trump administration announced it is seeking public comment on its proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule and the environmental impacts it would cause.

The Roadless Rule prohibits road construction and logging on 58.5 million acres of wild areas in national forests in order to protect habitats and ecosystems. Rescinding this rule will allow road construction and timber harvesting on nearly 59 million acres of the National Forest System, including 71,000 designated roadless acres of Cleveland National Forest including scenic areas in San Diego’s East County.

Some Tribes have stated that the administration acted without legally required government-to-government consultation, and that the rollback of the policy could negatively impact access to cultural foods, animals, and other resources. 

Judith LeBlanc (Caddo), executive director of Native Organizers Alliance, states, “Removing the Roadless Rule will lead to the destruction of Indigenous sacred places, areas where we continue to practice our traditions and cultures and are supposed to be legally protected by law.”

She adds, “The Trump administration has weakened environmental impact assessments by cutting public comment periods and limiting reviews of impacts on public lands. On top of that, they have also refused to engage in the legally required consultations with Tribal nations.”

 Tribes have an inherent right to determine the future of their ancestral homelands, she notes. “Consultation and consent is not optional. We must continue to voice our concerns every chance we get, starting with this public comment period. We must continue to remind Congress and the administration that they have to honor Tribal sovereignty,” she concludes.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, in a press release, claims eliminating protections for roadless areas is needed for firefighting. “For nearly 25 years, the Roadless Rule has frustrated land managers and served as a barrier to action — prohibiting road construction, which has limited wildfire suppression and active forest management," he states.

But Alexandra Syphard, senior research scientist with the Conservation Biology Institute and the director of science for the Global Wildfire Collective, disputes Schultz’s contention. He told the Los Angeles Times that “that roads are the dominant place where you see ignitions” since roads bring in people and vehicles that cause wildfires. In addition, plowing roads into roadless forests and cutting through forest canopies can change the types of vegetation that grow on the forest floor.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a study by the Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station, published in 2020, found that non-native plants are twice as common within 500 feet of a road as they are farther away. The study, which aimed to address the broader assertion that roads are needed to prevent fires, concluded:  "Speculation that eliminating road prohibitions would improve forest health is not supported by nearly twenty years of monitoring."

For details on how to submit comments, see https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/29/2025-16581/special-areas-roadless-area-conservation-national-forest-system-lands.