ORBA Action Alert: Proposed Rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule
ORBA Action Alert
Proposed Rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule
Public Comments Open Through October 6, 2026
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forest Service are accepting public comments on the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule until October 6.
The proposed rule would remove and reverse 36 CFR Part 294, Subpart B, eliminating the national-level prohibitions established by the 2001 Roadless Rule on road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting within inventoried roadless areas, subject to the rule's existing exceptions. However, Idaho’s and Colorado’s state-specific roadless rules would remain in effect.
Why This Matters
For ORBA, the issue comes down to a straightforward principle: public lands are not one-size-fits-all, and the people managing them should have the flexibility to respond to conditions on the ground.
ORBA's position builds on prior work with its parent organization, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). In 2025, ORBA, SEMA, and a coalition of national recreation organizations submitted comments supporting a modernized management framework that balances recreation access, forest health, wildfire mitigation, infrastructure needs, and conservation objectives. ORBA and SEMA reaffirmed that position in June 2026, emphasizing multiple-use management, responsible recreation access, local decision-making, and long-term stewardship.
If finalized, rescission of the Roadless Rule would return management decisions for inventoried roadless areas to the applicable National Forest System land-management planning processes. ORBA supports this approach because motorized recreation demand, route connectivity, access for maintenance and emergency response, wildfire risk, forest health, wildlife and watershed conditions, and the needs of surrounding communities vary from forest to forest.
It is equally important to understand what the proposal does not do. Rescission would not authorize any specific ground-disturbing project, require changes to a forest plan, automatically open roads or trails to motorized use, or change congressionally designated Wilderness. Existing land-management plans and applicable federal laws would continue to govern future decisions. Any future road construction or timber-harvest proposal within an inventoried roadless area would still require site-specific environmental review and consistency with the governing forest plan.
ORBA supports a balanced, site-specific approach to inventoried roadless areas. In some places, maintaining existing roadless characteristics may remain the appropriate management decision. In others, local conditions may support consideration of access, forest-health treatments, emergency response, recreation connectivity, or other management needs through the established planning process. The proposed rule would overturn a national-level prohibition that has prevented local managers from considering those management tools when site-specific analysis supports them.
How to Make Your Comment Count
The Forest Service is seeking comments on the proposed rule, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and the cost-benefit analysis. Comments should focus on issues relevant to the proposal, explain the reasons for any recommendations, and reference specific sections or wording where possible.
For off-road businesses, recreation organizations, clubs, and public-land users, useful comments may include firsthand information about existing motorized access and route connectivity, recreation demand, forest health and wildfire concerns, emergency or maintenance access, stewardship needs, and effects on rural communities, tourism, or recreation-based businesses.
Use your own words and be specific. Explain how National Forest lands are used in your area, identify particular places or management issues when relevant, and describe how the proposed change could affect recreation, access, stewardship, or your business or community.
How to Submit Your Comment
Comments must be received by October 6, 2026.
Online
Submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at Regulations.gov. Search for Docket No. FS-2025-0001 or RIN 0596-AD66 and follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Regulations.gov - Docket FS-2025-0001
Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination
201 14th Street SW, Mailstop 1108
Washington, DC 20250-1124
Resources
U.S. Forest Service - Roadless Area Conservation
Federal Register - Proposed Rule (RIN 0596-AD66)
Federal Register - Comment Period Extension (October 6 Deadline)
Regulations.gov - Docket FS-2025-0001
ORBA - Comment on Roadless Rule (September 9, 2026)
ORBA - Forest Service Moves to Rescind Roadless Rule (August 19, 2026)
ORBA - Statement on Recent Roadless Rule Developments (June 11, 2026)
*Comments submitted to the Forest Service become part of the public record. Do not include confidential, sensitive personal, or proprietary information.