Maintain National Forest Roadless Areas

Since 2001, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule has safeguarded some of our nation's most wild and intact national forest lands. The implementation of the Roadless Rule followed 600 local meetings as well as 1.6 million public comments, with 95% in support. Today 58 million acres of backcountry landscapes across 39 states are designated as Roadless Areas. The Roadless Rule did not close existing roads or trails, and exceptions to roadbuilding include access to inholdings and mineral leases. Additionally, select timber harvest is permitted within Inventoried Roadless Areas to reduce fire risk or to improve fish and wildlife habitat.  

On August 29, 2025, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a Notice of Intent to rescind the Roadless Rule and to open 45 million acres of public lands to new roadbuilding and commercial timber harvest. There was a 21-day public comment period from August 29, 2025 to September 19, 2025, during which time public land owners could voice their opinion on the Notice of Intent to rescind the rule. In the Spring of 2026 there will be another public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

The National Forest System already contains approximately 370,000 miles of roads. That's twice as many miles of roads than the entire U.S. National Highway System and enough to circumnavigate the globe more than 14 times! Repealing the Roadless Rule will directly result in an expansion of that development network across currently unfractured fish and wildlife habitat. Further, repealing the Roadless Rule will only increase fire risk on our public lands as a majority of wildfires are human-caused and occur within a half mile of a road.

Join BHA in opposition to rescinding the Roadless Rule.

Where the road ends, the adventure begins.