Mythbusting the Roadless Rule

When you hear the phrase “roadless areas,” it might conjure images of untouched wilderness. Vast landscapes shut off from people, locked away, unmanaged, wild, and bursting with untapped value. Opponents of the Roadless Rule have leaned into that misconception, painting these protections set in place by the Roadless Rule as barriers to safety, economic opportunity, and recreation. Their talking points often sound reasonable on the surface: Don’t we need more roads to fight wildfires? Shouldn’t we open forests for jobs and local economies? Wouldn’t new roads make it easier for disabled people to enjoy these places? But here’s the truth: these arguments don’t stand up when you actually look at the facts, research, and data. 

The Roadless Rule isn’t a “lock up the land” policy. It's not just a bunch of land that's arbitrarily "off limits." No, it ensures our forests are protected and continue to work for us. This rule has protected 58+ million acres of national forests (nearly 30% of our total national forest land) from reckless road-building and large-scale logging since 2001. These lands filter drinking water for 180 million Americans, provide habitat for countless species, act as some of our most powerful carbon sinks, and anchor outdoor recreation economies that sustain communities nationwide. It's been one of the most popular and most successful environmental regulations in the United States for more than two decades.

But right now, those protections are at risk. The USDA has opened a fast-tracked process to repeal the Roadless Rule, beginning with a short 21-day comment window that ends September 19, 2025. It’s the first step in a longer process, but what we say now matters. Agencies are legally required to read and respond to substantive public comments, and history shows that strong, thoughtful input can change outcomes.

The quality of your public comment matters. One great strategy: Compare facts to fiction. Let’s take the talking points from the folks opposing the preservation of the Roadless Rule and use data-backed evidence to show them how wrong (and dangerous) this misinformation is.

So let’s dig into the myths and the cold, hard facts that debunk them.

🔥 Fire management

❌ MYTH: Removing the Roadless Rule will help with wildfire management.

✅ TRUTH: Removing the Roadless Rule could actually increase the likelihood of fires.

• Wildfires start 4× more often near roads, with 90% of fires igniting within half a mile of a road. (Source)

• 85% of wildfires are caused by humans (cigarettes, sparks, fireworks, campfires, etc.) (Source)

• Non-native plants (which increase fire risk) are 2× as common within 500 feet of a road (Source)

• Ethical logging & prescribed burns can reduce fire risk, but new roads undermine those efforts. (Source)

• Wildfires stem from many factors beyond forest management (especially climate change).

• Logging and roadbuilding disrupt forest resilience.

⚒️ Maintenance

❌ MYTH: The Roadless Rule means more non-managed land, which is dangerous and unproductive.

✅ TRUTH: These forests are not “useless” wilderness. 

Roadless areas:

• Provide drinking water for 180M people (Source)

• Protect wildlife like grizzlies, salmon, and owls (Source)

• Serve as powerful carbon sinks, with the Tongass alone storing ~40% of all carbon in U.S. national forests (Source)

• Preserve and protect important cultural sites.

The U.S. already has 386K+ miles of forest roads with a deferred maintenance backlog of $8.4 billion. Do we really think they’ll be able to manage 58 million acres more of forest land? No. 

♿ Accessibility

❌ MYTH: Removing the Roadless Rule would open wilderness for disabled people.

✅ TRUTH: Roads ≠ accessibility.

• Only 15% of 400+ U.S. parks have fully accessible trails, despite having many roads. (Source) 

• Real accessibility comes from trails, adaptive campsites, transportation, signage, and infrastructure, not just pavement.

• True inclusivity means investment in infrastructure and services, not more road-building.

Read more in my in-depth blog post about the Roadless Rule and accessibility here. 

🚘 New roads

❌ MYTH: The Roadless Rule prevents any new roads from being built, even for good reasons.

✅ TRUTH: The rule restricts most new industrial road-building, but allows exceptions for:

• Public safety (wildfire response, search/rescue, evacuations)

• Environmental restoration (floods, landslides, fire damage)

• Access to existing leases or rights

• Reserved/tribal rights and private inholdings

💵 Economic value

❌ MYTH: Removing the Roadless Rule will benefit the U.S. economy.

✅ TRUTH: Roadless protections already deliver massive economic value.

• Roadless areas generate $2–3B/year in recreation, clean water, and carbon storage. (Source)

• New Mexico’s roadless lands bring in $90M/year + ~1,000 jobs. (Source)

• Colorado roadless areas add about $60M/year. (Source)

• Nearby home values rise 5.6% (~$1.9B total). (Source)

• In Alaska’s Tongass, sustainable industries (fishing, tourism, carbon storage) bring in $2B+ annually. (Source)

🥾 Recreation access

❌ MYTH: Removing the Roadless Rule will increase recreation access.

✅ TRUTH: Roadless protections already support recreation and provide plenty of access.

• Protects 25,000+ miles of trails, 8,600+ climbing routes, 768 miles of whitewater, and 10,000+ miles of MTB trails (Source)

• Nearly 9% of the Pacific Crest Trail (2,650 miles) runs through 71 roadless areas. (Source) 

• 161 miles of the Appalachian Trail and 440 miles of the Continental Divide Trail cross dozens of roadless areas (Source)

• 17.5M acres of roadless lands sit within 30 miles of national parks. (Source)

Current protections don’t ban recreation; they only restrict new road-building.

The Forest Service can’t manage its existing roads and acreage

The idea that adding more roads will somehow help our forests ignores reality. The U.S. Forest Service literally can’t even keep up with the massive road network it already manages. Why on earth would they want to add more? And what would the plan be to manage this land responsibly?

• The Forest Service oversees more than 386,000 miles of roads. That's enough to circle the Earth more than 15 times.

• These roads have a deferred maintenance backlog of $8.4 billion. Many bridges are unsafe, culverts are failing, and erosion is polluting streams.

• Chronic underfunding, budget cuts, and staffing shortages mean the agency is forced to triage. They have to prioritize high-use or high-risk roads while letting thousands of miles fall into disrepair.

• Every new mile of road added increases that burden, diverting resources away from essential restoration and thinning projects that actually improve forest health.

Expanding the road system doesn’t create safety, access, or resilience. It stretches the Forest Service thinner, leaves more roads in unsafe and degraded condition, and accelerates the very problems repeal supporters claim to fix.

Real forest health comes not from building more roads, but from investing in restoration, cultural burning, and smarter management of the land we already have.

🚨 Take action TODAY: Leave your public comment supporting the preservation of the Roadless Rule

The USDA is required by law to consider public input before finalizing this repeal. That means your voice truly matters. Strong, evidence-based, and personal comments can shape what gets studied in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and can help protect these forests for future generations.

Here’s a more in-depth blog post explaining exactly what public comments are, how the rule-making process works for the Roadless Rule, what the timeline and next steps look like, and how to leave an impactful comment. 

NEXT STEPS:

1. Submit your comment online: Official comment portal (Regulations.gov search for Docket FS-2025-0001-0001)

2. Deadline: September 19, 2025 (just 21 days from the Notice of Intent).

3. Make it count:

   • Share your personal connection to public lands.

   • Be specific about what’s at risk (water, wildlife, climate, recreation).

   • Use evidence where possible, but don’t forget your story matters too.

   • Propose alternatives (like investing in accessible trails, not new roads).

History proves public comment periods work: in 2001, over 1.6 million comments helped establish the original Roadless Rule. In 2023, 112,000 comments helped reinstate protections for Alaska’s Tongass. Now it’s our turn to speak up again.

👉 Leave your comment here.

The Roadless Rule isn’t some giant obstacle blocking Americans from “unleashing” value. No, it’s a lifeline. It keeps forests resilient, provides clean water for millions, protects cultural and ecological heritage, and supports billions in recreation and sustainable industries. Repealing it won’t solve wildfire or access challenges. Instead, it will erode ecosystems, increase costs for taxpayers, and threaten the outdoor experiences that define life in America’s wild places.

Let’s defend America’s last great roadless forests because once they’re gone, we don’t get them back.