Data / Federal rules / 2026-16965
Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation
The Forest Service published this proposed rule in the Federal Register on August 20, 2026. Comments closed on September 21, 2026.
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What the agency says
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA or Department) is proposing to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (2001 Roadless Rule), which established broad prohibitions on road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting within inventoried roadless areas on National Forest System lands. The intent of this proposed action is to reduce regulatory burden and return decisionmaking for the management of inventoried roadless areas to the land management planning process at the individual national forest level. Rescission of the national-level prohibitions provides responsible officials with flexibility to better guide management of National Forest System lands and respond to changing local resource conditions. The Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended by the National Forest Management Act of 1976, and the associated land management planning processes and plans are the appropriate and effective mechanisms to guide sustainable, integrated management of the resources within the plan areas in the context of the broader landscape, giving due consideration to the relative values of the various resources in particular areas. The USDA invites public comment on this proposed rule, the associated draft environmental impact statement, and cost benefit analysis, which are being published simultaneously.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-16965
- Type
- Proposed rule
- Action
- Proposed rule; request for public comment
- Agency
- Agriculture Department; Forest Service
- Published
- August 20, 2026
- Comments due
- September 21, 2026
- Dates
- Comments must be received in writing by September 21, 2026.
- Regulation ID (RIN)
- 0596-AD66
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 36 CFR 294
- Topics
- National forests
- Significant
- Yes, under Executive Order 12866
- Pages
- 6
Other documents from the Forest Service
| Document | Type | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Project-Level Predecisional Administrative Review Process 2026-20890 | Final rule | Oct 13 |
| Purchaser Credit on Timber Sale Contracts 2026-20512 | Final rule | Oct 7 |
| Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation 2026-18648 · significant | Proposed rule | Sep 11 |
| Travel Management; National Forest System Lands 2026-17211 | Proposed rule | Aug 24 |
| Organization, Functions, and Procedures; Public Notice and Comment for Standards, Criteria, and Guidance Applicable to Forest Service Programs 2026-13281 | Proposed rule | Jul 1 |
| Administrative Site Leases 2026-08937 | Proposed rule | May 6 |
| Definition of a Ski Area 2026-05767 | Final rule | Mar 25 |
| Land Uses; Special Uses 2026-05457 | Final rule | Mar 19 |
Everything from the Forest Service · Rules on national forests · Published in August 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-24. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.