Goodbye Nature: This Potential Deregulation Could Make Our National Forests Unrecognizable

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule is a piece of legislation in the United States that was enacted in 2001. Its purpose is to protect remote areas within the country's national forests by prohibiting new roads from being built — but now it's in danger of being rescinded. Many conservationists and lovers of the outdoors believe such a move would be devastating for the environment and for local communities. 

Earth Justice, a prominent non-profit organization that specializes in environmental law, describes the Roadless Rule as the "the most important land and forest protection measure of our lifetime," noting that it has remained popular amongst the American people since it was first passed during Bill Clinton's presidency. Today, the Roadless Rule protects 45 million acres of land and wildlife. The Trump Administration intends to rescind it, however, which could threaten some of the beautiful national forests in America.

Brooke L. Rollins, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was appointed by President Trump in 2025. She was a controversial choice from the get-go due to her husband's career in the fossil fuel industry and her denial of climate change. Many Americans were devastated when, on June 23, 2025, she announced that the Department of Agriculture plans to roll back the protections that the Roadless Rule has provided for over two decades.

The Trump administration and its supporters claim that rescinding the Roadless Area Conservation Rule will help suppress wildfires. "We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands," said Secretary Rollins in a press release. "Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump's commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what's necessary to protect America's forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." In the same press release, Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz echoed her message. "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 said.

Those who oppose the plan argue that rescinding the rule will itself be devastating, both to the environment and to the stunning array of wildlife to be found across the U.S. They believe that it's crucial to conserve our natural resources and protect our national forests. Buildings roads is destructive and could open up the land to be clear-cut. Yet some of those in favor look forward to more opportunities for logging and mining once the roads are built.

The United States Forest Service allowed the public to comment on the plans until September 19, 2025. During the 21-day comment period, hundreds of thousands of Americans responded. The Center for Western Priorities, a conservation group based in Denver, analyzed a random selection of 5,000 comments. They found through that over 99% of people in the United States oppose the plan to rescind the Roadless Rule. Many believe, however, that the Trump Administration will move forward with the plan despite the lack of public support.