Please click on this link for the official press release from Brooke Rollins, United States Secretary of Agriculture:
SELECTED QUOTES FROM THE OFFICIAL JUNE 23 PRESS RELEASE :
“Today, US. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced during a meeting of the Western Governors’ Association in New Mexico, that the USDA is rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule. This outdated administrative rule contradicts the will of Congress and goes against the mandate of the USDA US Forest Service to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands. Rescinding this rule will remove prohibitions on road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest on nearly 59 million acres of the National Forest System, allowing for fire prevention and responsible timber production.” (END)
INITIAL COMMENTS FROM ASSOCIATED CALIFORNIA LOGGERS:
Associated California Loggers supports this plan to rescind the 2001 “Roadless Rule.”
We see this as a bold reform that has been necessary for many years. This outdated policy has, for approximately 25 years, failed to protect our forests and communities from the growing threats of wildfire, insects, and disease – including the threat of “dead and dying trees.”
This is the kind of reform that is necessary if we are to save forests from neglect and non-management—which has exposed trees to disease and wildfires that have destroyed millions of acres of timberland and habitat. This is also the kind of reform that will move our National Forests back to their original design and intent – as a natural resource providing multiple uses and products.
Asssociated California Loggers is the trade association representing logging companies, log trucking companies and log road building companies in California. Our members stand ready to offer their professional training and seasoned experience to achieving the goals of this new mission at the USDA US Forest Service.