Timber industry sees fire peril.
The rule essentially will prevent any major expansion of logging in the vast national forest system. The rule is the latest in a flurry of orders and regulations by the Clinton administration in its waning days that are intended to bolster his legacy as a strong protector of the environment. The rule cannot be easily reversed by the Bush administration because it was adopted according to the formal procedures protected under federal law. The president first directed the Forest Service in 1999 to develop a rule to protect large intact areas in the forests without roads. This system applies to all rule-making by the government.