California pushes back on federal plan to strip protections from 4.4 million acres of state’s national forests

SACRAMENTO - California has submitted formal comments opposing the federal administration's proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which has protected millions of acres of national forest lands from most new road construction and commercial timber harvesting for 25 years.

The federal proposal would eliminate nationwide restrictions on road construction, road reconstruction and timber harvesting in inventoried roadless areas.

"Donald Trump is hell-bent on liquidating some of our nation's most precious and irreplaceable public lands for his extraction industry cronies," said Governor Gavin Newsom. "Our national forests safeguard drinking water, support rural economies, and give millions of Americans places to hike, hunt, fish, and connect with nature. California will not stand by while these treasured landscapes are put at risk."

In California, the Roadless Rule protects approximately 4.4 million acres, including lands around Mount Shasta and the Trinity Alps, across the Sierra Nevada and Tahoe region, along the Central Coast in Los Padres National Forest, and in Southern California's San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains. These lands protect headwaters and wildlife habitat while providing places Californians know and love for hiking, hunting, and fishing that contributes to the state's $74 billion recreation economy.

"Science tells us more roads leads to more fires," said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. "For 25 years, the Roadless Rule has helped protect millions of acres of California's forests, the water we drink and the communities that depend on them. Now the Trump administration wants to tear those protections down, even as research shows new roads can increase wildfire risk. Rather than sweep away these protections, we should be working together to make our forests and communities safer and more resilient."

What's at stake for California

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forest Service are proposing to rescind the Roadless Rule nationwide, removing protections from more than 44 million acres of national forest lands. Federal officials say the change would give local forest managers greater flexibility to reduce wildfire risk but the Roadless Rule already includes this flexibility. It allows forest managers to thin vegetation, remove hazardous fuels, use prescribed fire and construct temporary emergency access when necessary to protect public health and safety. In fact, more than 240,000 acres of California roadless lands have undergone vegetation treatments, including work in the Caples Creek area that helped protect communities during the 2021 Caldor Fire.



Research shows expanding roads could introduce new wildfire ignition risks. A peer-reviewed study published this year found wildfire ignition density within 50 meters of national forest roads was roughly four times higher than in inventoried roadless areas.

These forests are also an important part of California's natural water infrastructure. National forests supply an estimated 65% of California's water, while the state's outdoor recreation economy contributes tens of billions of dollars each year and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs.

"California stands ready to engage through our longstanding federal-state partnership," Secretary Crowfoot wrote in the state's comments. "But we will not accept a federal rollback that harms the outdoor recreation economy and the rural communities that depend on it, and increases fire risk, costs and ecological harm."

California is not alone

Opposition to eliminating the Roadless Rule dates back to 2025, when the Trump administration first began the process of rescinding the 25-year-old protections.

In September 2025, California joined attorneys general from Washington, Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont in formally opposing the proposal. The states warned that eliminating the rule could increase wildfire risk, threaten clean water and wildlife habitat, and harm outdoor recreation and rural economies. The opposition extends beyond state governments as well, with tribal representatives, hunters, firefighters, conservation groups and outdoor businesses also publicly opposing eliminating the protections.

Part of a broader federal rollback

In just the last four months, California has challenged a series of federal actions that could weaken environmental protections or limit the state's ability to protect its natural resources:

• April 2025 - Offshore drilling process reopened: The U.S. Department of the Interior began developing a new offshore oil and gas leasing program, including potential lease sales off the California coast.
• February 2026 - Federal greenhouse gas protections repealed: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized repeal of the 2009 Endangerment Finding and federal greenhouse gas emission standards for motor vehicles.
• May 2026 - California coastal protections put under federal review: The U.S. Department of Commerce ordered a new review of California's Coastal Management Program, raising concerns about the state's role in federal decisions involving offshore drilling, pipelines and other coastal development.
• July 2026 - Endangered Species Act protections changed: Federal agencies finalized changes to regulations implementing the Endangered Species Act, including rules governing habitat protections and threatened species.
• August 2026 - Roadless Rule repeal proposed: The U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed eliminating the 2001 Roadless Rule, potentially removing protections from roughly 45 million acres of national forest lands nationwide, including 4.4 million acres in California.

The federal public comment period on the proposed rescission remains open through Sept. 21, 2026. Comments submitted will become part of the public record and must be considered by the U.S. Forest Service as it develops its final decision.

Learn more and submit comments on the federal proposal.

Read California's full comment letter.