If we protect the final roadless rule from being overturned by a few opponents in Congress, more than 60 million acres of America's public forests can be protected for clean water, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation and our natural heritage. These areas vary in size, from a block of land over 10,000 acres in the Northern Rockies to a special ecologically sensitive area of 250 acres in heavily fragmented National Forests in the east. Wild forests have some of the highest quality fish and wildlife habitat, backcountry recreation and clean water supplies in the country. These forests act as refuges for wildlife because they are often remote and isolated areas surrounded by logging roads and damaged landscapes. Over half of our National Forests have already been hammered by roadbuilding, logging and other damaging activities.
Wild forests are the last of our natural forest heritage and a legacy for our children.
Of the 192 million acres of National Forests, roughly 60 million acres of unprotected roadless areas remain on the National Forests. Most areas are 5,000 acres and larger, but a growing body of science also supports the protection of smaller roadless areas. In October 1999, the President outlined a vision for lasting protection of our wild forests, and the Forest Service conducted a process that reviewed the future management of these wild forest areas. In the Summer of 2000, the Forest Service held nearly 400 public hearings across America to gain comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The Final Environmental Impact Statement showed only slight improvement over the draft.