Acreages and Miles

The Roadless Rule protects 58.5 million acres, or 31% of National Forest System (NFS) lands, about 2% of the total land base of the United States.

Approximately 386,000 miles of roads are currently administered on NFS lands. The Roadless Rule could prevent the construction of up to 232 miles of new road construction or reconstruction each year in inventoried roadless areas.

Production

Implementation of the Roadless Rule would decrease the amount of timber harvested on NFS lands by 2%—from 3,308 million board feet (MMBF) to 3234 MMBF, less than 0.5% of total US production.

Prohibiting timber harvest in inventoried roadless areas could directly affect about 461 timber jobs nationwide over the next 5 years. As timber harvest levels decrease on the Tongass National Forest over the next 5 years, another 269 timber-related jobs associated with reduced harvests from this national forest could also be directly affected.

Currently, total oil and gas production from all National Forest System lands is about 0.4% national production. The Roadless Rule is estimated to directly affect up to 546 jobs related to coal and phosphate commodities.

Biological Diversity

Inventoried roadless areas provide benefits to over 220 wildlife species listed as either threatened, endangered, or proposed by the Endangered Species Act—approximately 25% of all animal species and 13% of all plant species.

Inventoried roadless areas also provide large, relatively undisturbed blocks of important habitat for a wide variety of native terrestrial and aquatic plants including more than 1,400 Forest Service listed sensitive species.

Outreach

More than 180 American Indian and Alaska Native groups were consulted during rulemaking process, and 7 other federal agencies collaborated on the rulemaking.

Over 600 public meetings were held nationwide, and an estimated 25,000 people attended the public meetings. 500,000 comments were received during the comment period for the draft environmental statement (DEIS). More than 14 million hits were recorded on the Forest Service’s roadless website. Also, 7 separate hearings were held before US House and Senate committees and subcommittees.

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule limits or prohibits activities that would most negatively affect water quality, biodiversity and opportunities for personal renewal, which are highly valued qualities of roadless areas. The Roadless Rule prohibits new road construction and reconstruction in inventoried roadless areas on National Forest System lands, except:

• To protect health and safety in cases of an imminent threat of flood, fire, or other catastrophic event that, without intervention, would cause the loss of life or property.
  
  
• To conduct environmental clean up required by federal law.
  
  
• To allow for reserved or outstanding rights provided for by statute or treaty.
  
  
• To prevent irreparable resource damage by an existing road.
  
  
• To rectify existing hazardous road conditions.
  
  
• Where a road is part of a Federal Aid Highway project.
  
  
• Where a road is needed in conjunction with the continuation, extension or renewal of a mineral lease on lands that are under lease, or for new leases issued immediately upon expiration of an existing lease.

The Roadless Rule prohibits cutting, sale, and removal of timber in inventoried roadless areas, except:

• For the cutting, sale or removal of generally small diameter trees, which maintains or improves roadless characteristics.
  
  
• To improve habitat for threatened, endangered, proposed, or sensitive species.
  
  
• To maintain or restore ecosystem composition and structure, such as reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire effects.
  
  
• When incidental to the accomplishment of a management activity not otherwise prohibited by this rule.
  
  
• For personal or administrative use.
  
  
• Where roadless characteristics have been substantially altered in a portion of an inventoried roadless area due to the construction of a classified road and subsequent timber harvest occurring after the area was designated an inventoried roadless area, and prior to the publication date of this rule.
  
  
• Applies immediately to the Tongass National Forest. However, the Rule includes a transition provision that allows projects to continue that have published a Notice of Availability for a draft Environmental Impact Statement by the date of publication of the Final Rule.

************************************************ Inventoried Roadless Areas Within the Watershed

Georgia

Chattahoochee National Forest, Tallulah Ranger District
Rock Gorge: 2757 Acres
Ellicott Rock Addition: 707 Acres
Sarah’s Creek: 6895 Acres

North Carolina

Nantahala National Forest, Highlands Ranger District
Overflow: 3509 Acres South Carolina

Sumter National Forest, Andrew Pickens Ranger District
Rock Gorge: 2332 Acres
Ellicott Rock 1: 300 Acres
Ellicott Rock 2: 530 Acres

Inventoried Roadless Areas are based on forest plans, forest plan revisions in progress where the agency has established an inventory, or other assessments that are completed or adopted by the agency. RARE II information is used if a forest does not have a more recent inventory based on RARE II. The fate of many of these roadless areas, i.e., their "management prescriptions," will be determined in the new Forest Plans for Georgia and South Carolina, so please persist in participating in this cumbersome but necessary process!

INVENTORIED ROADLESS AREA ACREAGE CATEGORIES OF NFS LANDS SUMMARIZED BY STATE

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