Contacts:
- Chris Wood, President and CEO, Trout Unlimited, chris.wood@tu.org
- Corey Fisher, Public Lands Policy Director, Trout Unlimited – corey.fisher@tu.org
- Zoe Bommarito, National Communications Director, Trout Unlimited – zoe.bommarito@tu.org | 517-604-1844
A new report from Trout Unlimited highlights the critical role America’s roadless national forest lands play in sustaining fish and wildlife habitat, supporting hunting and fishing opportunities, and protecting clean water for communities across the country.
The report examines the benefits of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protects over 58 million acres of public lands in 39 states from new road construction while allowing wildfire fighting and mitigation, forest restoration and other active management activities.
“America’s roadless areas are the quiet workhorses of our public lands,” said Chris Wood. “They produce the cold, clean water that trout and salmon depend on, they give elk and mule deer the space they need to thrive, and they offer hunters and anglers access to quality hunting and fishing that’s getting harder to find,” said Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “The Roadless Rule has stood the test of time because it strikes a simple balance—protecting these irreplaceable places while still allowing smart forest management. Rescinding it would be a costly mistake for fish, wildlife, and the outdoor traditions that depend on them.”
The report also highlights the importance of roadless areas for big game species. In Montana, 93 percent of roadless areas contain elk summer range, while in Utah more than 99 percent are designated crucial or substantial mule deer habitat. Intact landscapes also improve hunting opportunities: elk harvest density in highly roadless areas can be up to ten times higher than in heavily roaded landscapes.
“Inventoried roadless areas provide some of the most intact big game habitat left in this nation, while also providing accessible, high quality hunting opportunities. I killed my first bull elk in a roadless area, a memory I’ll never forget, and an experience made that much richer by the undeveloped, wild landscape that surrounded me.” said Mark Kenyon, Director of Conservation, MeatEater. “It would be a profound tragedy if our children, and our children’s children, did not have those same opportunities.”
Roadless areas provide outsized conservation value. Although they occupy just two percent of the nation’s land, they support roughly 25 percent of all threatened and endangered species and provide critical strongholds for native trout and salmon. Research shows about 70 percent of roadless areas contain habitat for native trout or salmon, and watersheds in these landscapes are twice as likely to function properly compared to roaded areas.
“More than 60 million Americans get their drinking water from streams that flow from the 193 million acres of national forests. Truly, we have a federal public land system in the U.S. that serves us daily and is the envy of natural resource professionals around the world for the benefits realized by our citizens daily. Removing protection of these precious roadless lands, that belong to all citizens rich and poor, would be an irreparable tragedy for communities and our outdoor traditions,” said Vicki Christiansen, Former Chief of USDA Forest Service (2018-2021).
At the same time, expanding the road system carries significant costs. The National Forest System already includes about 370,000 miles of roads and a $10.8 billion maintenance backlog, more than half tied to existing roads.
The report concludes that maintaining strong protections for roadless areas is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to safeguard fish and wildlife habitat while preserving the hunting and fishing traditions that millions of Americans rely on.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forest Service is currently considering a proposal for a nationwide rescission of the Roadless Rule.
Take action to protect Roadless areas: https://www.votervoice.net/TU/campaigns/129227/respond
###