What's New

Protecting Roadless Areas 

The U.S. Forest Service is now deciding whether to open 6 million acres of the largest pristine forest in the lower 48 states—to logging, mining and drilling. This marks the Bush administration’s most recent attack on our national forests; last year, it removed protections for the Tongass national forest, and will soon consider allowing destructive activities in Colorado’s forests as well.

Brief Summary

Our national forests protect clean water, preserve undisturbed wildlife habitat, and provide backcountry recreational opportunities for millions of Americans. Unfortunately, only a fraction of these forests remains undisturbed by extractive industries: 16,000 miles of roads already traverse their acreage. 

In 2001, our staff and their allies won a remarkable victory with the enactment of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which placed 56 million acres of pristine forest land off-limits to road-building, mining, and virtually all logging. 

Unfortunately, the Bush administration stripped away this vital protection in an effort to give away these pristine forests to the timber industry and other powerful special interests.

Fortunately, a recent federal court decision by Judge Elizabeth LaPorte blocked the Bush administration's efforts and reinstated the protections established by the 2001 Roadless Rule. The decision was a huge victory in the fight to preserve America’s natural heritage.

Even though our forests are currently enjoying the protection of the 2001 Roadless Rule, the Forest Service announced that it would still be open to reviewing petitions on a state-by-state basis. Idaho and Colorado have both submitted petitions and their forests are at risk of being opened to extractive industries.  We need to codify this rule into law and take our last wild forests off the chopping block once and for all.