Comment: State’s roadless forests key to water, salmon, recreation
Published 1:30 am Saturday, October 25, 2025
By Megan Birzell / For The Herald
In Washington, our roadless forests shape who we are. They are the source of clean water for our cities and towns, the cold streams that salmon need to survive, and the backdrop to the hikes, hunts and climbs that define life here.
They are also some of the last places where families can still find quiet, wild country without the hum of roads or the scars of logging.
That’s why the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plan to rescind the Roadless Rule — the safeguard that protects more than 2 million acres of Washington’s national forests — is deeply concerning.
This summer, during a paltry 21-day public comment period, more than 600,000 comments and petitions were submitted and signed in response to the proposed rollback, with the vast majority opposing it. Washingtonians were among them; Tribes, firefighters, small business owners, anglers, climbers and local leaders who know what’s at stake for our water, our fisheries and our way of life. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins asked for feedback. Now we’re asking her to listen.
In our state, roadless areas include the South Quinault Ridge in Olympic National Forest, the granite spires above the North Cascades Highway and the Dark Divide in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. These places protect drinking water, sustain salmon, and offer the freedom to explore the outdoors that families, veterans and visitors cherish. They also provide critical habitat for species like Pacific salmon, mountain goats and elk.
Adding new roads here would make us less safe. New research shows that wildfires are four times more likely to start near roads than in roadless forests. At a time when Washington communities are already facing hotter summers and more frequent smoky skies, cutting new roads would invite more ignitions and stretch our firefighting resources even thinner.
The economics don’t make sense either. The U.S. Forest Service already maintains more than 370,000 miles of roads with a multibillion-dollar maintenance backlog. Building more roads would drain taxpayer dollars, harm watersheds and increase pollution in salmon-bearing streams. Communities shouldn’t be left paying to fix damage that benefits only short-term industry interests.
Our outdoor recreation economy — worth $11.7 billion annually — depends on healthy, accessible forests. From gear shops in Bellingham to guides in Packwood and Mazama, local businesses thrive because people come to experience Washington’s wild places. Those are the values we should protect.
I write as someone who has spent my career working in forest policy and the past decade exploring Washington’s wild country with my family. I know firsthand how important it is that these places remain intact; not just for us today, but for future generations who deserve the chance to know them as we do.
Secretary Rollins should listen to Washingtonians, honor the science and keep the Roadless Rule in place. Our forests, our salmon and our communities depend on it.
Megan Birzell is the Washington state director for The Wilderness Society.
