Looking toward Jefferson and George Washington and Jefferson National Forest from McAfee Knob in Roanoke County (photo by Tina Badger)
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In June of 2025, the US Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule in National Forests. The Blue Ridge Land Conservancy opposes rescinding the Roadless Rule due to the negative effect this will have on our National Forests and the resources they support. Virginia has more roadless areas in National Forests than any other Eastern state. Background: In March of 2001, the US Forest Service implemented the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (now known as the Roadless Rule), which would prohibit development and fragmentation of roadless areas and thus protect some of the wildest, least disturbed parts of the National Forest System. Americans care about roadless areas' naturalness and wildness, their fish and wildlife habitat, the hunting and angling opportunities, and the ability to find solace in nature, because these are our lands as a birthright. These are the last, best remnants of wild America left for future generations to enjoy. Polling from Susquehanna Polling and Research, Inc., released in February of 2026, showed that by a strong margin of 76% to 13%, likely voters support the Roadless Rule regulation. [i] Roadless areas are important for many reasons. The Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway run through the National Forests, where roadless areas protect the scenic views. Roadless areas protect water quality and wildlife habitat. Because most wildfires are started by people near a road, roadless areas are less likely to burn and threaten human health and safety on nearby lands. Repealing the Roadless Rule would open up the National Forests to road construction, timbering and mining, damaging the conservation values described above and encouraging the spread of invasive species. You can voice your opposition to repealing the Roadless Rule at the Regulations.gov website through Oct. 6, 2026: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FS-2025-0001-223869 [i] https://www.pew.org/-/media/assets/2026/02/national-poll-on-roadless-rule.pdf |
You can voice your opposition to repealing the Roadless Rule at the Regulations.gov website through Oct. 6, 2026.
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National Forests in Virginia (Photo from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Va_nationalforests.png)
