Time to Scrap the Roadless Rule and Restore Public Land Access

She's a veteran. She's a hunter. She grew up in Libby. And she saw as the road she used to access her favorite hunting grounds was shut down.

It was several years ago, and I'll never forget that woman who stepped up to the microphone and perfectly painted the picture of what the federal government had done with the roadless initiative put in place by former President Bill Clinton. Not only did it shut down large chunks of the timber industry, not only did it make our forests less healthy- but it also shut down access to public lands in Montana.

Nick Smith is executive director of Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities, a non-profit, non-partisan organization supporting active forest management on federal lands. He had a great guest opinion column that ran in The Billings Gazette recently. (Click here to read it) He wrote how "rescinding the Roadless Rule is a necessary step toward healthier, safer and more resilient forests for the future."

Nick joined us on the radio recently. I told him my assessment: former Democrat president Bill Clinton, just in the final days in office, just with a stroke of a pen, made decisions like this that defied what the locals on the ground actually wanted to see take place. And we've seen the demise of our timber industry. We've lost so many mills since that point. But it's not even just about the timber industry, which is a very important topic in itself. This is also about access to our so-called public lands. This stripped away access for disabled hunters and other folks who want to get out there and enjoy our outdoor economy.

Nick Smith: "You're absolutely right. You know, this is a lot more than about timber. I think your listeners would be interested to know that there are 6.4 million acres of roadless areas in Montana. That's larger than the size of the state of Massachusetts. So we're talking about a lot of land. And once again, it's a policy that was unilaterally put in place by the President in his last hours. And you know, where we're coming from is that the roadless rule really reflects a do nothing approach to our federal lands, the belief that forests are best protected by locking them up, but that really hasn't worked."

Here's the full audio of our conversation.

The Montana Farm Bureau also supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Forest Service proposal to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule. The Montana Farm Bureau Federation is a general agriculture organization, representing nearly 20,000 member families, many of whom live and work on or near Forest Service lands.

In a press release and prepared letter, MFBF President Cyndi Johnson says her members have been adversely affected by the Roadless Rule the past 25 years.

Cyndi Johnson: “We applaud the agency’s move to repeal this rule on nearly 45 million acres in Montana and other parts of the West because our members believe the rule has had a negative effect contrary to the Forest Service’s mission. Unilaterally prohibiting road building has made it more difficult to both suppress and reduce fire risk and to manage the tremendous natural resources these forests contain.”

Johnson said that the roadless rule has led to difficulties in fire mitigation and suppression which has not only resulted in waste of potential lumber and grazing resources, but also has led to smoke almost every summer that adversely affects people living near and far from the forests.

Cyndi Johnson: "We also appreciate that the repeal of this rule is intended to return decision making about road construction, repairs and timber harvest to local officials and forest-level land management planning. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has proven to be excellent managers of both state and federal forests through Good Neighbor Authority projects, having nearly 55,000 acres treated or under contract for treatment in Montana alone. This experience will make them great partners.”