roadless rule

Supporters of ending the US roadless rule argue it would let land managers build roads that help fight forest fires and improve wildlife access to habitats. Critics have long warned that opening protected roadless areas to development could harm ecosystems, making the proposal a flashpoint in forest policy debates.

A letter to the editor published in Mountain Xpress calls on readers to speak up in support of the Roadless Rule, arguing the policy is needed to protect wildlife habitats from road construction in national forests. The piece adds to ongoing public debate in the United States over whether roadless-area protections should be maintained, weakened or repealed.