New Map Visualizes Roadless Rule Impact on Public Lands Near You

The 2001 Roadless Area Rule is under fire on multiple fronts. As Meateater has reported, Congress is considering a bill that would repeal the rule. At the same time, Mike Lee tacked on an amendment to repeal the rule to legislation pertaining to wildfire prevention. And in 2025, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins kicked off a long process for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to internally rescind the rule.

Conservation groups are fighting the change tooth and nail, citing the ecological and recreational benefits that it provides. A new report and interactive map will provide additional fodder to conservationists battling the rule change.

Released by onX earlier this month, the “Roadless Rule: By the Numbers” report highlights key impacts of the rule, which places limits on road development and logging on relatively undeveloped national forest land. To put together the report, the satellite mapping company cross-referenced USFS boundary files with its own outdoor recreation data, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service habitat data, and 50 years of National Interagency Fire Center records.

Some of the key takeaways are eye-opening. For instance, though the roadless rule encompasses just 27.7% of all USFS land, only 3.17% of wildfires start in those areas, while 90% of all fires in the U.S. start within half a mile of a road. This data point provides a compelling counter to the argument that repealing the Roadless Rule will improve wildfire prevention.

In terms of wildlife, onX highlighted the fact that those areas provide critical intact habitat and migration corridors for three big game species: black bears, elk, and mule deer. Additionally, the report shows that the Roadless Rule does not prohibit motorized recreation where it was already allowed prior to its implementation—and that includes 7,201 miles of full-size motorized trails and primitive roads, 2,494 miles of ATV and side-by-side trails, 2,167 miles of motorized singletrack trails, and 1,295 miles of snowmobile trails.

In addition to the report, onX released a free interactive map that visualizes the areas impacted by the roadless rule, as well as the main recreational opportunities and wildlife habitats within them.

“At onX, we turn land and recreation data into something people can actually use,” said onX

CEO Laura Orvidas in a press release. “This report is an extension of that. These 44.7 million acres have supported hunting, fishing, off-roading, and wildlife habitat for 25 years.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to release a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on rescinding the rule in the near future, which will open a public comment period on the issue. This tool will provide useful facts for public land users to cite when providing their perspective on the subject to the Department of Ag and elected representatives, as well as for understanding the impacts of the Roadless Rule on Forest Service lands near them.

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