BILLINGS, Mont. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced plans to rescind the Roadless Rule, aiming to reduce wildfire risks and increase timber production on nearly 59 million acres of roadless land in the National Forest System.
A USDA spokesperson stated, "Repealing the Roadless Rule is more important than ever because 24.5 million acres of the Wildland Urban Interface, where forests meet communities, are either in roadless areas or within a mile of roadless [...] Roads improve access for wildland firefighting when timing is critical, and lives are at risk."
However, not everyone agrees with this approach. Hilary Eisen, Federal Policy Director, expressed her concerns, saying, "pretty strongly disagree with that. The Forest Service has been studying, you know, how roadle