Final chance to protect Washington’s national forests
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, WA
Benjamin Drummond, aerial support provided by LightHawk
Two million acres of the state’s roadless forests are at risk
SEATTLE [Aug. 18, 2026] – The federal government took another step Tuesday towards repealing the popular 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protects 45 million acres of national forest lands nationwide – including two million in Washington alone – from industrial development.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed a proposed rule to rescind in its entirety the national roadless rule, ultimately allowing for roadbuilding and logging in our nation’s most pristine forests. The announcement kicks off a 30-day comment period starting Thursday.
Last August when the government announced its intentions to repeal the rule, more than 600,000 people weighed in, most of whom strongly opposed repealing the conservation measure. The public has until Sept. 21 to submit comments to the U.S. Forest Service.
Roughly two million acres of Washington’s national forest lands are protected from industrial roadbuilding and logging – including places like South Quinault Ridge on the Olympic Peninsula and Liberty Bell in the North Cascades. About 450,000 of those 2 million acres are old growth forests – representing some of the world’s oldest, largest trees.
In response to the news, The Wilderness Society’s Washington State Director Megan Birzell said:
“Washington has some of the most amazing forests in the world. We must protect our clean water, wildlife and a backcountry that isn’t carved up by roads. The roadless rule ensures that future generations will have the freedom to experience these truly wild places as they are today.”
Wildfires are 3x more likely to start near roads than in roadless Washington forests
Since last summer, the Trump administration has claimed repealing the roadless rule would allow for “fire prevention.” But new research says the opposite. In fact, wildfires are three times more likely to start near roads than in roadless forests in Washington.
The research examined a large, nationwide dataset to determine whether roads on the national forests are associated with higher ignition risk, and they examined patterns of fire size to see whether wilderness and roadless areas are associated with larger fires.
The results suggest that building roads into roadless areas likely increases fire activity. Although these fires average smaller than those farther from roads, they occur more often and pose greater risks to nearby communities.
For media inquiries, contact Chelsi Moy at cmoy@tws.org
