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One of the most important -- and most underappreciated -- policies in the history of our public lands is on the verge of being cut by Trump. 

If the Roadless Rule is repealed, 45 million acres of national forests across the country would be opened to road building and the logging, mining, and extractive industries that come with that. The public comment period just opened, so now is our best chance to act. We can demand our forests remain protected if enough of us speak up.

Add your comment now
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Dear Supporter,

The Roadless Rule has quietly stood as one of the most consequential public lands conservation policies in history, but you may not have heard of it before. When you hike into a roadless area, there are no signs to let you know. When you look at a National Forest map at your local ranger district office, there are no lines delineating roadless areas. 

But when you think about your favorite national forests -- wild, expansive, intact -- there's a good chance you’re envisioning a place that is designated 'roadless'. 

The policy was created by the US Forest Service in 2001 -- they received 1.6 million comments, with over 95 percent of people supporting a strong Roadless Rule. The result? US Forest Service leadership listened to the public and created an even stronger policy than they had originally envisioned.

For 25 years, the Roadless Rule has been keeping 45 million acres of our most treasured landscapes protected from logging, drilling, mining, development, and road building. It has inarguably been one of the most important conservation policies. Maybe because of that, the Trump administration is now attempting to repeal it. 

The US Forest Service has officially opened the comment period on the Roadless Rule Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This is our time to say loud and clear: Hands off our wildest forests.

Send your message
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Don't forget to leave a short personal comment. By sharing a reason why forest protections matter to you, your public comment will be much more likely to be read and considered! 

Right now, the reasons the Forest Service gave for creating the Roadless Rule -- ecologically important, overwhelmingly popular, and economically responsible -- are more valid than ever before. Habitat has become more important due to factors like climate change and land development. The Forest Service's road maintenance backlog has grown rather than shrunk. And keeping public lands protected remains immensely popular.

Let’s be clear: There is a legitimate need for science-based, ecologically-responsible solutions to the wildfire crisis. But  the truth is that 85 percent of wildfires are started by humans, and more roads will lead to more ignitions. Repealing the Roadless Rule will not only fail to address the wildfire crisis, it will likely make it worse. 

There’s a reason these areas weren’t logged before: they tend to be hard to reach and in rugged places, and often don't even have much merchantable timber. The result of this could be more taxpayer-funded projects that eliminate the highest values of our forests, while selling timber from public lands at a loss. 

Together, we must demonstrate how popular this policy is by submitting even more comments to the administration than ever before. 

Join your voice with thousands of others by submitting your comment today! Tell this administration: DO NOT REPEAL THE ROADLESS RULE. Our roadless public lands are too valuable to lose, and the American public won't stand for it.

Thank you for your continued advocacy to protect forests and public lands.

Alex Craven (he/him)
Forest Campaign Manager
Sierra Club

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