The 2001 conservation rule has resulted in out-of-control wildfires.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the Forest Service has proposed a complete rescission of the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The move is in response to a record number and scope of wildfires this year in the Western U.S.
The department explained, “For 25 years, the 2001 Roadless Rule restricted road construction and limited the Forest Service’s ability to carry out critical active management work within inventoried roadless areas. Today, that includes more than 44 million acres of the 193-million-acre National Forest System. The rescission is intended to prioritize local agency decision-making over regulatory rules that are the same across the country, regardless of specific land management issues and needs.“
“Across the country, we’ve watched preventable conditions – overgrown stands, insect outbreaks and disease – turn healthy landscapes into tinderboxes,” said Secretary Rollins. “For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities.“
She added that the proposal would “restore authority to local forest managers who know the land best, removing the barriers that have kept them from doing the work the land demands.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Rollins and USDA officials as they assess the state of national forests and the need to manage wildfire risks.
- For Chief Tom Schultz and Forest Service personnel as they seek to improve the management of the nation’s forests to prevent wildfires.
Sources: Department of Agriculture
