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Trump rolls back forest protections
The gist
The Trump administration proposed rescinding the Roadless Rule, which protects 44.7 million acres of forest.
The 25-year-old policy governs logging and road building across mostly 10 Western states.
How it unfolded
- Aug 2025Brooke Rollins, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, first proposed rolling back the Roadless Rule, saying it would support Trump's executive orders to increase logging and energy development on federal lands.
- Jul 2026Trump's changes to the Endangered Species Act were finalized, rescinding a definition of harm that made it illegal to damage the places endangered species call home.
- Aug 18, 2026The Trump administration moved to end the rule protecting swaths of forest land.