Grounded in common sense, the Roadless Rule that the Trump administration wants to eliminate has not been controversial for 24 years. Stirring up needless fights over public lands is more about smoke and mirrors than land management.

The Forest Service manages about 194 million acres. About 58 million acres of national forest are relatively undeveloped. These lands are remote, rocky and rugged and defined by what they don’t have: roads. They’re mostly accessed by trail, except in winter when they might be approached with snowmobiles.

Since the Clinton administration, roadless lands have largely been left alone under the policy called the Roadless Rule. No one has complained, as there is plenty of work to do elsewhere. Leeway for management was written into the Roadless Rule, allowing the

See Full Page