NWTF Urges Local, Science-Based Approach to Proposed Roadless Rule Changes
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — As the USDA Forest Service’s longest-standing national habitat partner, the National Wild Turkey Federation is calling for a balanced, locally driven approach as the Forest Service proposes changes to the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, emphasizing that greater flexibility for forest managers should not come at the expense of wildlife habitat, hunting opportunity, water quality or responsible forest management.
“We support this administration’s goal of cutting unnecessary bureaucracy and returning decisions to the people who know the ground,” NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. “A national rule that treats every inventoried roadless area the same does not match the condition of every forest. Forest supervisors, Tribes, states and local communities should have more room to match treatments to local risk.”
The proposed rule would remove the current national roadless regulations under 36 CFR Part 294, Subpart B.
The NWTF notes that rescinding the rule would not itself authorize new roads, timber sales or motorized routes. Existing forest plans and federal laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, National Forest Management Act and Endangered Species Act, would continue to guide future management decisions.
The NWTF supports greater flexibility for forest managers to address hazardous fuels, improve wildlife habitat and respond to local forest conditions. The organization also emphasized that any future management should prioritize existing transportation infrastructure before adding new permanent roads.
“Inventoried roadless areas still provide unfragmented cover that wild turkeys, elk, mule deer and many other wildlife species use,” Dyroff said. “New permanent roads change animal distribution, increase disturbance and can convert a walk-in hunt into a roadside hunt. Any implementation direction should require a wildlife-security and hunter-opportunity analysis before a new permanent road is added in a former inventoried roadless area."
In its comments to the agency, the NWTF also highlighted the importance of water resources and wildfire management in future decisions. Roads can contribute to soil and water disturbance, while strategic access can be an important tool for wildfire suppression and fuels treatments. The NWTF supports increased hazardous-fuels reduction and prescribed fire but emphasizes that roads should not be viewed as a substitute for active forest management.
The NWTF also encourages the agency to measure the success of any future roadless-area policy by the outcomes it produces for forests, wildlife and communities rather than simply by the number of road miles added.
If the proposed rule is finalized, the NWTF recommends that future decisions remain grounded in forest plans and site-specific analyses, with opportunities for public involvement at the forest and project level. The organization also supports prioritizing temporary and administrative access for fuels, habitat and stewardship projects over new permanent public roads.
The NWTF will continue its successful partnership with the Forest Service to advance active forest management, improve wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk and maintain hunting opportunities across national forests.
“The American people asked for less bureaucracy and more competent management,” Dyroff said. “Those are compatible goals if the Forest Service is precise. Take the one-size-fits-all national prohibition off the books if that is the decision. Then tell managers to treat the right acres, repair the roads they already have, keep new permanent miles rare, analyze wildlife and water before they build, and measure success by forest health, community protection and hunting opportunity.”
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About the National Wild Turkey Federation
Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 25 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. Since 2022, the NWTF has also invested over $2.7 million in critical wild turkey research that, when leveraged with partner contributions, has resulted in more than $25 million to guide the management of the wild turkey and to ensure sustainable populations. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale to create healthy forests and wildlife habitats, clean and abundant water, resilient communities and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF is committed to creating a nation united by the life-changing power of the outdoors.