The public comment period for the proposed repeal of the 2001 Roadless Rule has been extended to Oct. 6.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is moving forward with plans to rescind the policy that currently safeguards nearly 59 million acres of national forest lands nationwide, including roughly 70,000 acres in northern Wisconsin’s Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.

The proposed rescission would eliminate long-standing prohibitions on road construction, reconstruction, and commercial timber harvesting across protected areas.

The notice of proposed rulemaking invited public comment on the proposed rule, the associated draft environmental impact statement, and cost benefit analysis, which were published simultaneously.

The original comment period was scheduled to close Sept. 21, but the department has extended the comment period by 15 days to allow the public additional time.

At the time of this writing, the department had received more than 7,200 online public comments.

Originally enacted under President Bill Clinton following 600 public meetings and 1.6 million comments, the rule was designed to prevent industrial development from fragmenting habitats.

To gather formal input for the Federal Register, Wisconsin’s Green Fire and partner groups organized a public town hall in June at Nicolet College in Rhinelander featuring Dr. Mike Dombeck, the former U.S. Forest Service chief who led the original rulemaking. More than 100 people attended.

During that gathering, Dombeck, now a University of Wisconsin System Fellow and professor of Global Conservation, told the crowd that the administration’s stated rationales for repealing the rule — wildfire prevention and reviving the timber industry — are not supported by data. He also described the roadless rule as fiscally conservative, noting that it costs taxpayers nothing, creates no ongoing maintenance liability, and preserves options for future generations.

Submitting comments

Electronically submitted comments are preferred, which can be done through the Federal eRulemaking Portal, regulations.gov, identified by docket number FS-2025-0001 or RIN 0596-AD66.

Otherwise, hardcopy letters must be submitted to: Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination, 201 14th Street SW, Mailstop 1108, Washington, DC 20250-1124.

To learn more or submit a comment ahead of the Oct. 6 deadline, visit federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/11/2026-18648/special-areas-roadless-area-conservation.