National Forest 'Roadless' Areas
Chronology of the 2001 Conservation Rule
The historic roadless policy was developed over four years and drew an unprecedented 2 million public comments - contrary to opponents' claims of "11th-hour abuse" of executive authority by President Clinton.
1891: Congress authorizes President to establish forest reserves on federal public domain lands, marking the beginning of the national forest system.
1926: US Forest Service (USFS) inventory identifies 55 million acres of roadless areas between 230,000 and 7 million acres.
1972: USFS adds areas of 5,000 acres or more to inventory; identifying 56 million acres of roadless land.
1979: An updated inventory identifies 62 million acres of roadless land æ nearly one-third of the National Forest system.
1988: USFS builds 2,037 miles of roads, bringing the total road system to 355,000 miles.
Nov. 1997: President Clinton announces USFS is developing a scientifically based policy for managing roadless areas.
Nov.-Dec. 1997: Five U.S. Senators and seven Representatives from the South sign bi-partisan letter to Administration expressing concern over logging and roadbuilding in roadless areas.
Jan. 1998: USFS Chief Mike Dombeck proposes a moratorium on new road building in most roadless areas, exempting national forests with updated management plans, including the George Washington in Virginia and the Tongass in Alaska.
March 1999: USFS adopts an 18-month moratorium on new roads in most roadless areas, with virtually the same exemptions as the January 1998 proposal.
Oct. 1999: President Clinton travels to Virginia’s George Washington National Forest to make historic announcement protecting wild lands; directs the USFS to initiate an open and public national rule-making to determine how National Forest roadless areas ought to be managed.
May 2000: USFS releases draft proposal; its "preferred alternative" prevents road construction, but allows logging, and excludes the Tongass National Forest’s 20 million roadless acres.
July 2000: USFS ends public comment period on draft, receiving a record 1.2 million comments asking for full protection for roadless areas.
Nov. 2000: USFS releases final proposal, prohibiting commercial logging in roadless areas and includes the Tongass Rainforest, but with a four-year delay on implementation.
January 12, 2001: Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman signs the Record of Decision on a final roadless rule that includes more immediate protection for the Tongass and strong restrictions on roadless area logging.
