The USDA Forest Service has issued a proposed rule that would rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, eliminating critical protections for millions of acres of national forest land, leaving them vulnerable to logging, road construction, and other industrial activities.
Nationwide, the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (2001 Roadless Rule) provides important protections to approximately 44.7 million acres of National Forest System lands. The roadless rule protections extend to 10,666 acres of forest land in the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois including the Burke Branch, Ripple Hollow, Burden Falls, Bay Creek, Burden Falls, Eagle Creek, and Clear Springs roadless areas.
The acreage of protected areas in the Shawnee may be small compared to areas in the west, but that doesn’t mean the protections offered by the roadless rule are any less important. In fact, the relatively small size of these areas and the highly fragmented nature of the forest within the Shawnee means these protections are especially vital. Opening up areas of the Shawnee to more road construction means the spread of invasive species, further habitat fragmentation, erosion and sedimentation into pristine streams, possible resource extraction, as well as direct impacts to threatened and endangered species and all wildlife. Forests once covered 40% of Illinois’ landscape. Today the14% that remains is highly fragmented and increasingly threatened by invasive species. Despite the small remaining percentage, our state’s forests provide critical habitat for plants and wildlife— in fact, they are home to 61% of the native flora and 75% of the state’s wildlife habitat!
Add your name to the petition today! The 30-day comment period for the proposed rule and draft environmental statement ends at midnight Sept. 21, 2026.
