The Trump administration wants to build more roads through national forests

KOSU/NPR

By Nathan Rott

August 29, 2025

The Trump administration wants to build more roads in the country's national forests by rescinding a decades-old rule that protects nearly 60 million acres of forested lands.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to formally start the process of undoing the 2001 Roadless Rule — a move that it argues will help the country's firefighters.

"For nearly 25 years, the Roadless Rule has frustrated land managers and served as a barrier to action — prohibiting road construction, which has limited wildfire suppression and active forest management," U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said in a press statement Wednesday.

Forest ecologists and fire scientists say it's not that simple, and they warn that more roads could lead to more wildfires.

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