The Trump administration is rolling back a landmark conservation rule from the Clinton era that prevents roadbuilding and logging on roughly 58 million acres of federal forest and wildlands.

The announcement rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule comes as the Forest Service is under orders by President Trump to increase logging and thinning in forests to address the wildfire threat. Environmentalists have already indicated they’ll sue to prevent its reversal, however.

After Clinton enacted the rule at the end of his term in 2001, it effectively created de facto wilderness protections for scores of forests in the West and Alaska.

  • FlexibleToast@lemmy.world
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    24 hours ago

    I don’t remember the source, but I think I heard it the US Forestry Service maintains 4x the amount of roads of the Interstate Highway system to put it in perspective. I imagine logging equipment is hard as heck on road surfaces too.