Trump USDA advances plan to ax logging protections for 44 million acres of national forests

Published August 27, 2025 2:30pm ET



The Trump administration is one step closer to ending decades-old protections for tens of millions of acres’ worth of national forests from logging and road building, a move the administration says will help reduce the risk of wildfires.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced on Wednesday that the Department of Agriculture plans to publish a notice of intent to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule at the end of the week, opening the decision up to public comments.

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