Stop Roadless Rule repeal
The U.S. Forest Service is trying to roll back one of the most important protections for our National Forests while shutting the public out of the process.
In 2026, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule turns 25. Adopted in 2001, the Roadless Rule protects 58.5 million acres of national forest land, including 240,000 of the 800,00 acre White Mountain National Forest and 80,000 of the 400,000 acre Green Mountain National Forest from new road construction and large-scale logging. These “roadless areas” are some of the last intact wild forests we have. They protect clean drinking water, provide critical wildlife habitat, and offer unmatched opportunities to hunt, fish, hike, and camp. In the White and Green Mountain National Forests, the roadless areas act as buffers around the designated Wilderness Areas. Many iconic hiking trails pass through these protected places.
When the Roadless Rule was first created, the Forest Service held more than 400 public hearings across the country and received millions of public comments. People showed up, spoke out, and demanded lasting protections for their forests.
Now the Forest Service wants to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and those protections, likely without holding a single public hearing.
That is unacceptable.
In response, groups across the country are organizing Community Hearings to make sure our voices are heard.
By attending, you will:
- Learn what the rollback would mean for the National Forests
- Be able to have your testimony recorded and submitted to the Forest Service.
- Show that communities are paying attention and pushing back
- Help build visible opposition the Forest Service cannot ignore
Join us on Tuesday May 19, at 6 PM, Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, 40 College St., Hanover.
Bring a friend. Bring a neighbor. Show up for the wild forests that belong to all of us.