New Roadless Rule Detour for OR Backcountry

President Obama stake out new position on roadless area conservation.

The long and winding travel route for the 2001 "roadless rule" is now on a temporary diversion. The U.S. Forest Service has announced a "time out" on new road-building on over 50 million acres of backcountry forest nationwide – and Oregon is home to almost two million acres affected by the directive, which comes from the Agriculture Secretary.

Rob Klavins, roadless wildlands advocate with Oregon Wild, says, while they welcome the news, there are still some questions - such as whether it would affect projects already in the pipeline. His group is most-concerned about a logging project planned near Crater Lake National Park, which reaches into proposed wilderness, inventoried roadless areas and the Oregon Cascades Recreation Area.

"It takes place basically on the doorstep of Crater Lake. It actually converts almost eight miles of hiking and skiing trails into logging roads."

The roadless rule was put into effect by the Clinton administration in 2001 and was quickly taken to court by logging and development interests, and has been in the courts ever since. The federal directive is temporary, says Klavins, and there is still work to be done to make sure protecting the last roadless areas in the country becomes permanent.

"That can’t be the end of the story. We welcome the news, but it’s not time to uncork the champagne quite yet – or, I suppose more appropriate to Portland, to tap the keg quite yet."

New road construction and development proposed for roadless areas now must receive approval from the agriculture secretary.