Tribal nations oppose proposed rollback of 2001 Roadless Rule

According to a press release, Tribal governments and intertribal organizations across the country are opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The National Congress of American Indians adopted Resolution #SEA‑25‑102 during its Nov. 16–21, 2025, annual convention in Seattle, and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians passed a similar measure, Resolution #2025‑49, at its October convention in Suquamish, Washington.

Both resolutions call for the administration to halt the rescission process, describing the proposal as “a violation of treaty rights, trust responsibilities, and federal law.” Tribal leaders are requesting an immediate pause, an extension of the public comment period, and leadership‑level government‑to‑government consultation.

The administration published its notice of intent to repeal the Roadless Rule on Aug. 29, 2025, with a 21‑day comment period ending Sept. 19. The NCAI resolution states the timeline was “wholly inadequate for meaningful Tribal engagement on a decision affecting millions of acres of ancestral territories.”

“This attempt to strip protections from 44.7 million acres of ancestral homelands, including treaty‑protected resources and sacred sites, without a single meaningful conversation with Tribal governments is a direct violation of our sovereignty and the federal government’s own binding regulations,” said Larry Wright Jr., executive director of the National Congress of American Indians.

The Roadless Rule restricts road construction and timber harvesting on about 44.7 million acres of National Forest System lands, including the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. Southeast Alaska Tribal governments joined the NCAI resolution.

“Our Tribe, the Organized Village of Kake, has always stewarded and protected the Tongass National Forest with the help of our partners — successfully keeping the roadless rule intact,” said President Joel Jackson of the Organized Village of Kake.

Tribal governments in 39 states and territories could be affected if the rule is rescinded. Chairman Conrad St. John of the St. Croix Chippewa Band of Ojibwe said the rule protects treaty rights and clean water in the Chequamegon‑Nicolet National Forest.

The resolutions cite scientific findings that roads contribute up to 90 percent of sediment pollution that harms spawning habitat and that human activity causes nearly 90 percent of wildfire ignitions. They also raise environmental justice concerns, noting disproportionate impacts on Tribal communities.

Leonard Forsman, president of ATNI, said, “It is essential that the U.S. Government engages in proactive and timely government‑to‑government consultations with affected Tribes.”

The Inter‑Tribal Timber Council also supports establishing a process for Tribes to propose management or co‑management of specific roadless areas.