MISSOULA - Friday, September 19, is the deadline for public comment on a plan to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule .

The proposal has faced widespread public opposition. Some forest managers say the repeal isn’t a top priority, but some of those same managers believe it could bring some benefits.

"In the short term and in the longer run, I think the benefits from that would probably outweigh the risk or the threats,” said Todd Morgan, director of forest industry research at the University of Montana.

Watch the full story: Public comment on roadless rule repeal proposal ends Friday

Morgan says that the roadless rule was enacted by the U.S. Forest Service in 2001 to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands.

“It affects, I think, roughly 45 t

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