The so-called roadless rule was crafted in response to what Forest Service leadership at the time saw as decades of rapacious practices by the timber industry. Well, that, and a more than $8 billion backlog in existing road maintenance. But a lot has changed in the past 25 years. The agency’s newest leaders say the rule has stifled rural economic growth and hindered efforts to proactively manage forests and control for wildfires. They're already well into the process of undoing the rule. We’ll talk about where the roadless rule comes from, and how those on both sides of the issue are thinking about its future.
GUESTS:
Chris Wood | President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. He served as the senior policy and communications advisor to the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service when the roadless rule was crafted.
Kevin Lind | Staff writer on the Ideas and Culture team at the Deseret News, covering the Intermountain West.
Redge Johnson | Director of the Utah Public Land Policy Coordinating Office.
Airdate: Thurs., Oct. 2, 2025 and Sat. Oct. 4, 2025