SACRAMENTO
On Sept. 16, Californians responded to the U.S. Forest Service’s extension of the Roadless Rule comment period. The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects 58 million acres of forests nationwide, including 4 million acres in California. In August, the Trump administration moved to repeal the Roadless Rule in its entirety and opened an abbreviated comment period ending Sept. 21, 2026. That deadline is now extended to Oct. 6, 2026.
“If the Roadless Rule is repealed, we can expect more wildfires, more polluted waterways due to erosion and logging, and more private, corporate use on public lands in the form of logging and mining,” said Melanie Schlotterbeck, conservation consultant for Hills For Everyone. “This comment period extension just goes to show that the Trump administration is feeling the heat on their unpopular attempt to repeal the Roadless Rule.”
When the Roadless Rule was originally developed, more than 600 public hearings were held across the country over a two-year period. Currently, there are no public hearings scheduled.
A key concern for California is that repeal of the Roadless Rule would increase wildfire risk throughout the state. Wildfires are four times more likely to start in areas with roads than in roadless forest tracts. More than 90% of all wildfires nationwide have occurred within half a mile of a road. Areas of the Angeles National Forest, Cleveland National Forest, Los Padres National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, Inyo National Forest, and Tahoe National Forest are among the places that could be impacted by this change.
Recently released polling also highlights that Californians are deeply concerned about the maintenance and accessibility of their public lands, including national forests. Eighty-six percent of voters surveyed oppose proposals to sell off public lands to corporations and other private interests, resulting in reduced public access. A staggering 75% of respondents are strongly opposed to these proposals.
Comments may be submitted about the proposed changes to the Roadless Rule at regulations.gov.
~ Full Court Press press release
