Campaign asks Obama to protect roadless forests

On anniversary of original Roadless Rule, diverse voices call for reinstatement of protections.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski has joined outdoor gear manufacturers and conservation groups calling on the Obama administration to protect roadless areas of national forests that the Bush administration had tried to open to logging.

A legacy of the Clinton administration, the roadless rule was adopted by the U.S. Forest Service in 2001 to put 2 million acres of national forest off-limits to most logging and energy exploration.

But the Bush administration soon replaced it with a new rule easing protections, and litigation is still unresolved.

The governor wrote Agriculture Secretary-designate Tom Vilsack urging him to impose a moratorium on new roads and logging in roadless areas until the 2001 rule can be restored.