In The News – Forest Service proposes rollback of 25 year rule protecting lands that includes portions of Tahoe
June 26, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 06/26/2025, Written by Katelyn Welsh
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture intends to rescind a rule that has prohibited new roads and timber harvest on 30% of National Forest System lands, including portions in the Truckee-Tahoe basin.
“The intent of the 2001 Roadless Rule is to provide lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System in the context of multiple-use management,” the USDA Forest Service’s website states. Not only does the rule prohibit new roads and timber harvest on these areas, it keeps them open for a range of recreational activities, including climbing, hiking, mountain biking, paddling, and backcountry skiing.
These inventoried roadless areas constitute close to a quarter (23%) of Forest Service-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit lands and a combined 80,000-plus acres on Tahoe National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit forest, according to maps on the Forest Service’s website.
Photo: Tahoe Daily Tribune