ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A major change to federal forest policy could affect millions of acres of national forest land in New Mexico and across the West.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that the U.S. Forest Service has filed a proposed rule to repeal the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which restricts road construction and certain land management activities in designated roadless areas of national forests.
According to the USDA, the rule currently applies to more than 44 million acres of the National Forest System and has limited access for forest management projects aimed at reducing wildfire risk, combating insect infestations, and addressing forest disease.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the proposed change would give more authority to local forest managers to determine how roadless areas should be managed based on conditions in their regions.
The announcement is particularly significant for New Mexico, where large portions of national forest lands fall under the roadless designation. USDA officials noted that more than 95% of inventoried roadless areas are located in 10 Western states, including New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, and Alaska.
Supporters of the proposal argue that repealing the rule could allow for additional wildfire mitigation projects and improved forest health management. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said more than 40% of inventoried roadless areas have high or very high wildfire risk, while only a small percentage have received hazardous fuels reduction treatments in recent years.
Under the proposal, roadless designations would no longer be governed by a national policy. Instead, decisions about road construction, timber management, and restoration projects would be made through local forest planning processes and existing environmental review requirements.
The proposed rule does not automatically authorize road construction or timber harvesting, but it would remove the nationwide restrictions currently governing those activities.
The USDA will open the proposal to public comment and environmental review before a final decision is made.
