U.S. Forest Service Announces Proposed Recission of the Roadless Rule
Published Friday, August 21, 2026
The U.S. Forest Service has proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule and released a draft environmental impact statement for public comment. The Roadless Rule restricts road construction, reconstruction and timber harvest on nearly 45 million acres of Forest Service land nationwide and has been the subject of extensive litigation.
Under the proposal, decisions affecting roadless areas would return to forest-level management planning. More than 95% of inventoried roadless areas are located across 10 Western states, including California. In California, approximately 4.4 million acres of the state's more than 20 million acres of national forest land appear to be affected.
The draft environmental impact statement considers three alternatives:
- Alternative 1 – No action: Maintain the existing Roadless Rule.
- Alternative 2 – Proposed rule: Rescind the Roadless Rule.
- Alternative 3 – Modified boundaries: Remove Roadless Rule restrictions in roaded areas and the wildland-urban interface while maintaining the 2001 rule for inventoried roadless areas outside those areas.
Public comments are due Sept. 21. California Farm Bureau welcomes feedback from members as it reviews the proposal.
Staff contact: Matthew Viohl; mviohl@cfbf.com.
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