Pelham, Mass – A new data visualization from the Partnership for Policy Integrity (PFPI) shows that the Trump administration’s claims that rescinding the 25-year-old Roadless Rule will help mitigate fire risk are baseless. The map is built on federal data and includes ignition data from all states containing Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs). It highlights IRAs in Alaska, California, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, each of which has over one million acres of intact, roadless areas that would be more vulnerable to fires if the Roadless Rule is removed. The map includes data for all 38 states that have IRAs.
Building on an analysis that demonstrated fire ignitions are far more likely to occur near roads than in roadless areas, the map shows data on fire ignitions by state both within IRAs and in a one-mile buffer outside of their boundaries. Summary statistics by state show that fire ignitions are more likely to occur in the buffer zones than in roadless areas, by:
- 645% in Alaska
- 14% in Oregon
- 52% in Montana
- 110% in California
- 61% in Utah
- 34% in Wyoming
- 78% in Nevada
- 43% in Washington
The map also estimates the likelihood of mature and old-growth (MOG) forest within each IRA, showing that roughly half of all IRA acres contain MOG. A third viewing option shows which portions of roadless areas would lose protections under the “partial” rescission alternative. Under this proposed option, most small IRAs, including almost all those in eastern states and including a large portion in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National forest, would potentially be opened to logging and roadbuilding, and vulnerable to more fires.
The map is accompanied by a detailed overview of the Forest Service’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed rule, which can be read here.
The US Department of Agriculture press release announcing the 30-day public comment period (now extended to October 6) for the proposed rule notes that the rescission “aligns with” executive orders called: Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation, to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens; Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production; Unleashing American Energy; and Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.
Mary Booth, PhD, PFPI’s director, read the environmental impact statement. She remarked “USDA’s own assessment concludes that opening up roadless areas to logging and roadbuilding is likely to increase fires, degrade water quality, and cause landslides. Public officials that went on record supporting this proposal as being about wildfire mitigation either didn’t read the assessment, or are willing to agree to anything that Trump’s USDA and their logging and mining cronies suggest. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins should be sued for malpractice since rolling back the Roadless Rule will end up costing billions and cause lasting damage to communities and our public lands.”
A recent study published in Biological Conservation led by David Mildrexler, PhD, PFPI’s US Director of Science and Policy, contains more than 100 citations of other studies refuting the rationale given for rescinding the Roadless Rule. It includes key research by Gregory H. Aplet which finds that from 1992 to 2024, the highest wildfire-ignition density in all National Forest System lands was in lands within 50 meters of roads, and the lowest were in IRAs and designated Wilderness areas. The PFPI map was inspired by the Aplet et al study.
“It’s clear from the research that humans are a leading cause of wildlife ignitions,” said Mildrexler. “Even the Forest Service’s own environmental impact assessment admits that adding more roads will lead to more wildfires.”
Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE) make the same argument in their recent statement: “Expanding road access for human-caused wildfires to ignite will greatly add to the burden, risks, and hazards that are challenging firefighters.” They also note that the US Forests Service’s well-known failure to maintain the roads it is already responsible for makes many logging roads unusable for firefighting equipment anyway.
Sam L. Davis, PhD, PFPI’s Staff Scientist and the creator of the map, said, “We created this map to help people visualize the role that roadless areas play in helping to mitigate fire risk and preserving irreplaceable forest resources. These beautiful, remote, ecologically rich areas make up just two percent of all the land in the lower forty-eight. They clean our air and our drinking water and are home to a diversity of wildlife,” Davis continued. “Two percent. Why can’t we just leave them alone?”
The Partnership for Policy Integrity (PFPI), founded in 2010, uses data-driven advocacy and litigation to fight for forests, communities, and the climate. More at https://www.pfpi.net/.
