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Roadless Areas

What's New

On Aug. 18, 2026, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brook L. Rollins announced that the proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement that recommends removing the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule will publish in the Federal Register.

Removing the national policy that applies to all roadless areas would allow national forest and grassland leadership to determine how those areas are managed, including where and when to reduce wildfire risk based on local conditions and with public involvement through forest planning. Managing roadless areas through forest plans reduces regulatory burden and provides greater flexibility to guide management of National Forest System lands.

National forests and grasslands are managed similarly for conservation and multiple uses, but they differ in how their unique geography, ecosystems, and local resource needs shape management decisions and conservation activities. Returning decision-making authority to local leaders ensures that issues such as reducing wildfire risks and forest health are addressed based on local conditions rather than a one-size fits all regulation.

As a multi-use land management agency, we make decisions by considering interconnected factors of ecology, economics, laws and culture. Our goal is to support the best decisions so forests remain health to meet today’s needs and continue providing benefits well into the future.

Public comments open

The 30-day comment period for the proposed rule and draft environmental statement ends at midnight Sept. 21, 2026. The following links point to information that could be helpful to you in reviewing the documents and providing substantive comments:

Lands currently under the 2001 Roadless Rule

  • The 2001 Roadless Rule, when enacted, established prohibitions on road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting in nearly 60 million acres inventoried roadless areas, with limited exceptions. Today, the 2001 Roadless Rule applies to nearly 45 million acres of National Forest System lands, including in Alaska.

  • The 2020 Alaska Roadless Rule, which exempted the Tongass National Forest in Alaska from roadless protections, was repealed on Jan. 27, 2023, returning the inventoried roadless areas of the forest to management under the 2001 Roadless Rule.

  • The 2001 Roadless Rule no longer applies to more than 9 million acres in Idaho and more than 4 million acres in Colorado. Those state-specific roadless rules supersede the 2001 rule and will remain in place.

Additional information