Trump administration moves to open untouched national forests to logging

A giant sequoia tree, with a circumference of 70 feet, stands beyond the remnants of small trees along the Trail of 100 Giants on August 25, 2022 in Sequoia National Forest, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

The Trump administration moved on Tuesday to roll back an environmental rule that currently blocks road construction, and by extension most logging and mining activity, on tens of millions of acres of public forest land.

The so-called "roadless rule" was introduced by the Clinton administration and went into effect in 2001. It has been a flashpoint in the U.S. fight over economic development and wild land conservation, especially in Western states, for a quarter of a century.

"Our forests can't afford another decade of inaction," U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement . "It's time to turn the page on the failed roadless rule and return our forests to health and productivity."

The proposed change drew praise from Republican governors in Montana, Utah and Wyoming. Their comments appeared in the same USDA press release.

"Rescinding it restores the flexibility to make thoughtful decisions based on the needs of each forest and each community," said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. "We can protect the landscapes we treasure by actively managing them for the next generation."

But supporters of the roadless rule say it emerged as a cornerstone of U.S. conservation policy, limiting industrial activity and preserving habitat on vast swaths of public forest and grassland from Alaska to Florida.

"The roadless rule protects some of the most valuable public lands that belong to all Americans," said Drew Caputo, a senior attorney with the environmental group, Earthjustice. "It is the most important land protection measure of the last 60 years."