The Trump administration announced it will begin dismantling a rule that has preserved tens of millions of acres of roadless national forest from logging and roadbuilding for over two decades.
Anna Phillips and Jake Spring report for The Washington Post.
In short:
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will initiate the rollback of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, removing protections from nearly 59 million acres of the National Forest System, including most of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.
- The rule, enacted in 2001 under President Clinton, has long been a political flashpoint; while conservation groups defend it as vital to habitat and climate, the timber industry and some Western officials say it hampers economic growth and forest management.
- Environmental groups vowed legal action, arguing the rollback favors industry profits over ecological integrity, while the administration claimed the change would improve wildfire prevention and reduce dependence on foreign timber.
Key quote:
“The Trump administration now wants to throw these forest protections overboard so the timber industry can make huge money from unrestrained logging.”
— Drew Caputo, vice president of litigation for lands, wildlife and oceans, Earthjustice
Why this matters:
National forests serve as critical habitat for wildlife, carbon sinks that help regulate the climate, and sources of clean water and recreation. The Tongass, in particular, is one of the world’s last remaining temperate rainforests, storing vast amounts of carbon in its centuries-old trees. Dismantling protections for these lands could increase carbon emissions, threaten biodiversity, and expose fragile ecosystems to industrial logging. Though wildfire prevention is cited as a justification, scientists note that clear-cutting often degrades forest resilience. With climate change amplifying fire risk, forest policy decisions now carry weight far beyond local timber markets or state politics.
