Trump Administration Aims to Roll Back 2001 Roadless Rule, Threatening Alaska’s Tongass Forest

The Trump administration has announced a proposed rollback of the 2001 Roadless Rule, a federal policy that protects roadless areas across the United States. The rule currently safeguards about 5 percent of the lower 48 states’ public lands, leaving only a small fraction of wilderness free from roads. The proposed change would open up these remaining roadless zones, including the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska, to potential road construction and development. The Tongass is home to diverse wildlife such as eagles, bears, and salmon that thrive in its old‑growth coastal forests along the Inside Passage. The rollback could disrupt these ecosystems and the water quality that supports them.