IDAHO — The Trump administration is moving to repeal a decades-old rule restricting road construction and development across millions of acres of national forest, arguing the change could give forest managers more tools to address wildfire risk and forest health.
Conservationists say opening more national forest land to roads could come with risks of its own.
In Idaho, however, the debate looks different because the state operates under its own Roadless Rule.
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For more than two decades, the national Roadless Rule has limited road construction, timber harvest and other development in designated areas of national forests.
"These roadless areas are undisturbed, undeveloped, and they provide sources for our drinking water," said John Robison, public lands and wildlife director for the Idaho Conservation League. "They provide amazing habitat for fish and wildlife, incredible recreation opportunities."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now proposing to rescind the national rule.
The administration says the restrictions have limited forest managers' ability to respond to wildfire and improve forest health.
According to the USDA, more than 40% of inventoried roadless areas have high or very high wildfire hazard potential, while just 5% have received hazardous-fuels treatments since 2014.
The USDA says removing the rule would give local forest managers more flexibility to determine where roads or forest treatments are needed. Rescinding the rule would not, by itself, mandate new roads or timber cutting.
Robison acknowledged roads can provide important access for firefighters but argued constructing more roads could also increase the risk of human-caused fires.
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"Roads do play a role in providing access to wildfires for firefighters, and that's important," Robison said. "But on the whole, if you balance things out, you're going to have more fire starts with these new roads than if we kept the current roadless rule in place."
Robison said additional roads could also affect water quality, wildlife habitat and recreation.
The proposed repeal does not apply to Idaho's national forests. Idaho has operated under its own Roadless Rule since 2008, following a state-specific process involving a range of interests.
"The Idaho Roadless Rule brought together stakeholders from the timber industry, from the conservation community, from the counties, from recreationists," Robison said. "And really, we look at all the values that undisturbed, intact forests provide, and also the need for active management."
The USDA is taking public comment before making a final decision on the National Roadless Rule.
