The Trump administration announced a formal proposal on Aug. 18, 2026, to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The move opens more than 45 million acres of national forests to roads, drilling, and logging.

More than 400 endangered animal and plant species could face accelerated extinction due to the rollback. The change could put 7.4 million acres of endangered-species habitat at risk and nearly 1,800 miles of protected rivers and streams in jeopardy.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the department’s plans last fall after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March. The president stated that the country's inability to fully exploit domestic timber supply has impeded job creation and prosperity. Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the forests provide clean drinking water to countless communities.

"Our national forests are home to some of America’s most iconic animals, from grizzlies to hellbenders," Spivak said. "Bulldozing more roads through them will mean dirtier water, fragmented wildlife habitat and greater wildfire risk." U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell added that roadless areas safeguard clean-water sources and sustain critical wildlife habitat.

In the Rocky Mountains, 9.7 million acres of roadless areas are at risk, including 2.9 million acres of critical habitat. Nearly 11,000 miles of streams in the region are home to 21 imperiled plant and animal species. Montana’s roadless areas protect watersheds supplying drinking water to communities in Bozeman, the Flathead Valley, and the Seeley-Swan Valley.

The rollback threatens wild salmon in the 9.3-million-acre Tongass National Forest in Alaska. This forest produces more wild salmon than any other national forest. The region’s $1 billion-a-year commercial and sport fishing economy accounts for one in 10 jobs in south-east Alaska and may be affected by the rollback.

The Tongass National Forest supplies drinking water to more than a dozen communities, including Sitka, where about 9,000 people rely on the Blue Lake Reservoir. Logging and road construction could introduce sediment and jeopardize Sitka’s federal waiver allowing it to avoid conventional water filtration.

In the US south and south-east, eastern hellbenders, Carolina northern flying squirrels, and bog turtles are among the species at risk. The potential impact includes 1.1 million acres of roadless areas and 1,300 miles of streams. In Georgia, roadless areas in the Chattahoochee National Forest protect the river’s headwaters, which provide more than 70% of metro Atlanta’s drinking water to about 5 million people.

In the south-west, nearly 10 million acres of roadless areas are at risk, including 1.1 million acres of critical habitat. These areas include 4,205 miles of waterways supporting 101 federally protected species such as Mexican gray wolves, jaguars, and Mexican spotted owls. National forests in the south-west provide 45% of Phoenix’s water and three-fourths of Flagstaff’s.

Albuquerque relies on the Rio Grande, Carson, and Santa Fe national forests for 75% of its drinking water. Across the Pacific, approximately 8.4 million acres of roadless areas are at risk, including 3.2 million acres of critical habitat. Sierra Nevada red foxes, estimated to number just 18 to 39, are among the species at risk across the Pacific.

Washington state has 2 million acres of roadless areas, of which 450,000 acres consist of old growth trees. Roadless areas in Washington at risk of losing protection include the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Olympic National Forest. Rescinding the Roadless Rule would threaten more than 4,000 miles of national forest trails.

Why It Matters

The rescission of the 2001 rule represents a shift in the management of 193 million acres overseen by the US Forest Service. The decision affects water sources for millions of Americans and habitats for hundreds of endangered species across multiple regions.

The policy reversal follows a previous rollback during President Donald Trump’s first term, which was reinstated in 2023 by former President Joe Biden. The current proposal continues a pattern of executive actions aimed at increasing resource extraction and altering land use regulations on federal properties.

What's New

The Trump administration previously rolled back the Roadless Area Conservation Rule during President Donald Trump’s first term before it was reinstated in 2023 by former President Joe Biden. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March stating: "Our inability to fully exploit our domestic timber supply has impeded the creation of jobs and prosperity … increased the cost of construction and energy, and threatened our economic security."

The Trump administration announced the formal proposal to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule on Aug. 18, 2026. "Roadless areas safeguard clean-water sources, sustain critical wildlife habitat, and support outdoor recreation that communities across the country depend on." A 2026 study concluded that "roads play an important role in managing fire on the national forests. But roads also are known to increase ignitions and damage ecosystems."

How Sources Differ

The Center for Biological Diversity report states that in the Rocky Mountains, 9.7 million acres of roadless areas are at risk, including 2.9 million acres of critical habitat and nearly 11,000 miles of streams home to 21 imperiled plant and animal species.

Newsdata reports that roadless areas safeguard over 80,000 miles of rivers in the continental United States and are the source of clean drinking water for 25 million Americans.

The Center for Biological Diversity report details that in the Rocky Mountains, 9.7 million acres of roadless areas are at risk, including 2.9 million acres of critical habitat and nearly 11,000 miles of streams home to 21 imperiled plant and animal species.

The Center for Biological Diversity report notes that in the south-west, nearly 10 million acres of roadless areas are at risk, including 1.1 million acres of critical habitat and 4,205 miles of waterways supporting 101 federally protected species.

The Center for Biological Diversity report indicates that across the Pacific, approximately 8.4 million acres of roadless areas are at risk, including 3.2 million acres of critical habitat and 1,280 miles of waterways supporting 145 federally protected plants and species.