Trump’s latest assault on public lands
This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration is trying to open up more public lands to logging, What’s happening? On Tuesday, the administration filed a proposal to repeal the […]
On Tuesday, the Trump administration released a proposal to overturn the "roadless rule," a 2001 regulation safeguarding over 45 million acres of national forests across 10 Western states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Two states, Colorado and Idaho, have their own state-level roadless protections.
The regulation, which prevents road construction and logging in these areas, is set to undergo a 30-day public comment period before potentially being implemented. The Agriculture Department claims the repeal aims to decrease regulatory burdens and empower local decision-making regarding forest management, citing concerns over fire management and the need to clear forest fuel.
However, critics argue that repealing the rule could cause irreversible damage to some of America's most pristine forests and result in numerous environmental harms. They point out that only a small percentage of wildfires ignite in roadless areas of national forests. The Trump administration's move follows the signing of an executive order in 2025, which directed a 25% increase in logging in federal forests.
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