WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced Wednesday that the Department of Agriculture has opened a public comment period on the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule, a regulation that limits road construction and timber harvest in certain national forest areas.

The Forest Service will publish notice in the Federal Register on August 29 outlining the agency’s intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the potential change. The statement will examine reasons for rescission, anticipated effects on people and natural resources, and implications for forest and grassland management.

The Roadless Rule, in place for nearly 25 years, has covered about 60 million acres of national forest land. Under the proposal, roughly 45 million acres would be affected, while state-specific rules for Colorado and Idaho would remain unchanged. According to Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, lifting the restriction would return decision-making to local forest managers who, he said, “best understand their forests and communities”.

Supporters of rescission argue that the regulation has limited wildfire suppression efforts and active management. Rollins described the effort as part of a broader push to reduce what the administration views as “outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations.” Critics of previous efforts to remove roadless protections have raised concerns about increased logging, resource development, and impacts on wildlife and watersheds.

The proposal aligns with President Donald Trump’s Executive Orders 14192 and 14153, which call for reducing regulatory barriers and exempting Alaska’s Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Rule.

Public comments on the proposal are open through September 19, 2025, and will be considered in developing a draft environmental impact statement. Additional opportunities for public input will be available as the rulemaking process continues.