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National forests provide places to hike, fish and camp for families throughout the country. The Forest Service estimates over 209 million visitors per year.

Wild Forests on the Chopping Block
NATIONAL TREASURES: Our 191 million acres of national forests are home to some of the most striking beauty on Earth. But half of these forests have already been logged or developed.
THE ROADLESS RULE: The historic 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule protected nearly 60 million acres of our last wild forests from most logging, road-building and oil and gas drilling.

The Bush administration has exempted the largest national forest, Alaska ’s Tongass (shown above), from protections that keep timber companies out of the last unspoiled wild forests.

Chipping Away at Forests Protections
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: The Bush administration’s top official on forest policy is Mark Rey, who worked for nearly 20 years as a top lobbyist for the timber industry.
DOING TIMBER’S BIDDING: Since taking office, the administration and Mr. Rey have suspended the Roadless Rule, failed to defend the rule in court, and exempted America’s largest national forest, Alaska’s Tongass Rainforest, from the rule.

We need to protect the last remaining wild areas of our national forests and ensure that this critical habitat remains unspoiled by roads, logging or other development.

Save Our Wild Forests
WE MUST PROTECT OUR ROADLESS AREAS: The repeal of the 2001 Roadless Rule will result in the deforestation of our nation’s remaining wild and intact forests.
STOP THE REPEAL: Only public opposition can convince the Bush administration to back away from their ill-advised proposal. That’s why we are urging everyone from governors to ordinary citizens to register their opposition to the Roadless Rule repeal.

Calling on the Governor
In place of the protections of the Roadless Rule, the Bush administration has created a process allowing governors to petition the U.S. Forest Service to reinstate protections for their states’ wild forests. It is now incumbent on our governor to take every available action to protect all of our state’s pristine national forests. Click here to take action to convince your governor to protect our forests.