On Tuesday the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it was rescinding the Roadless Rule, a policy that was put in place in 2001 and prohibits certain types of development and timber harvest, on 59 million acres of National Forest land across the country.⁠ ⁠ While the federal agency argues that building roads in roadless areas is critical for wildfire mitigation and deregulation, research shows that where there are roads, there are wildfires. The USDA referred to the Clinton-era Roadless Rule policy as an “outdated administrative rule [that] contradicts the will of Congress and goes against the mandate of the USDA Forest Service to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands.”⁠ ⁠ Tap the link in profile for the full story 🔗⁠ ⁠ #USDA #roadlessrule #logging #wildfire #wildlife #habitat #timberharvest #forestservice #outdoors #nature #outdoorlife⁠ 📷: Matt Armstrong / usdagov⁠ Story by: krebfish