08/23/2026
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) just released its plans to strip millions of acres of wild forests of their protections. This administration is proposing to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, and your help is needed.
America’s wild forests are where we find hidden trails and swimming holes. They are where we go for fresh air and perspective, to reconnect with the natural world.
Nearly 25% of animal species listed as endangered in the U.S. have habitat in these protected forests. If this rule is gutted, we could see salmon runs poisoned by pollution, and wolves, grizzlies, and owls losing the habitat they’ve depended on for centuries.
Approximately 625,000 people told the administration to continue protecting 45 million acres of our national forests. We got their attention with that outpouring of support for trees and wildlife and trails.
It’s time to step up for our forests once again. We only have 30 days to respond to their proposal. Add your name now.
For 25 years, these 45 million acres of forest have been off limits to damaging activities like building a road or logging.
As a nation, we decided to protect these wild forests rather than tear them down. Together, we can keep America’s wild forests standing, protect the wildlife that call them home, and pass on the majesty of these special places to future generations.
Make your voice heard in opposition to this push to chop down our forests. Submit your public comment today and until Sept 21
Sample Comment Chief Schultz,
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule should not be rescinded or altered. The Rule should be kept in place so that Inventoried Roadless Areas can continue to provide the following benefits to the American public.
1. Vital Habitat for Imperiled Species: The lands in question include diverse forests, wetlands, canyons and other undeveloped lands that are critical to our nation's ecological health. [insert local animal impacted]
2. Protecting Migration Corridors and Habitat: Protected roadless areas help ensure that migratory game corridors for species such as elk and mule deer remain intact and protected from roads and the industrial development roads enable.
3. Vital for America’s Drinking Water: The US National Forests are the headwaters of many of our great rivers and one of the largest sources of municipal water supply in the nation, serving over 60 million people in 3,400 communities in 33 states. Zooming in closer to the forests themselves, a recent study by American Rivers found that roadless areas directly provide clean, reliable drinking water for over 25 million people.
4. Subsistence and Cultural Values: These spaces are critical to food security for many indigenous communities as well as for sustaining cultural practices, including hunting, fishing, and gathering forest plants for food, medicine, and traditional arts.
5. Outdoor Recreation: Roadless areas offer abundant outdoor recreation opportunities such as hunting, fishing, camping and other activities. Every year, millions of people take advantage of the free (or extremely affordable) access to these public lands.
6. Wildfire risk: Burning government time and money on opening the door for more roads and logging in our country’s most intact, backcountry forests will only worsen the wildfire crisis. The administration should be focusing on shoring up federal resources for protecting communities, not tearing down essential protections while gutting the Forest Service.
I support Alternative 1. Please keep the Roadless Area Conservation Rule intact.
Submit comments at Regulations.gov Roadless Area Conservation Document FS-2025-0001-223869
