The federal Roadless Rule, first enacted in 2001, remains at the center of a national debate over conservation and land use — and Pennsylvania’s only national forest is directly impacted.

The rule restricts road construction and timber harvesting in designated “roadless” areas of national forests. It has faced legal and political challenges over the past two decades but has largely stood firm.

The federal <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FS-2025-0001-0001">Roadless Rule</a>, first enacted in 2001, remains at the center of a national debate over conservation and land use &mdash; and Pennsylvania&rsquo;s only national forest is directly impacted.
The rule restricts road construction and timber harvesting in designated &ldquo;roadless&rdquo; areas of national forests. It has faced legal and political challenges over the past two decades but has largely stood firm.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb starts conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb starts conversations about what&rsquo;s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb start the conversations about what&rsquo;s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at&nbsp;<a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.