MISSOULA - Friday, September 19, is the deadline for public comment on a plan to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule.
The proposal has faced widespread public opposition. Some forest managers say the repeal isn’t a top priority, but some of those same managers believe it could bring some benefits.
"In the short term and in the longer run, I think the benefits from that would probably outweigh the risk or the threats,” said Todd Morgan, director of forest industry research at the University of Montana.
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Morgan says that the roadless rule was enacted by the U.S. Forest Service in 2001 to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands.
“It affects, I think, roughly 45 to 60 million, 58 million acres,” said Morgan.
The roadless rule applies to National Forests, not Wilderness areas. Meaning that if the rule were repealed, Wilderness areas would not be affected.
“Wilderness areas are congressionally designated and there's something like 36 million acres of big W wilderness. You know, a congressionally designated wilderness in the national forest system. So under the Forest Service's purview, inventory roadless area is about another 45 or so million acres. And that's separate from wilderness areas,” said Morgan.
Morgan went on to say that many of the areas currently without roads may not be viable for timber harvesting or mineral extraction, as they may not have a high inventory. But he went on to say that that doesn’t mean there aren’t other areas that could see benefits.
“It could help increase timber supply or timber availability, particularly in those well-stocked forest stands within inventory roadless area. I think it's going to increase access to areas that have high fuel loading wildfire threat. And otherwise that the agency would want to treat. It's going to improve access in those areas, and then I think it's also going to it would provide more opportunity for public access for recreation and hunting, particularly motorized access and things like that,” said Morgan.
Watch previous coverage: USDA proposes repealing rule that prevents roads on 60M acres of national forests
But for members of the public, the repeal still feels unnecessary.
“I think they’re looking for those huge old-growth trees, and I just don’t think we need to cut them down,” said one recreationist at the Rattlesnake trailhead.
September 19 is the last day for public comment on the proposed repeal. Comments can be submitted to the Federal Register.
