The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule on National Forest System lands.

Commonly known as the Roadless Rule, over the last 24 years it has prevented construction of roads and other development on millions of acres of public land, mostly in western states and Alaska.

The USDA's plan would undo those protections on about 45 million acres, according to the agency. The U.S. Forest Service is an agency within the USDA.

What does the Roadless Rule do?

The rule prohibits road construction or reconstruction and large-scale commercial logging on portions of the National Forest System.

However, the lands are open to the public, including for hunting, fishing, hiking, bird watching, camping and other forms of recreation, as well as

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