OPINION - TIME TO PUSH ROADLESS RESET BUTTON

Elk Camp Ridge Trail - IRA - Smith River National Recreation Area

Six Rivers National Forest

OPINION

By Don Amador

September 19, 2025

 

TIME TO PUSH ROADLESS RESET BUTTON

 

Today marks the deadline for submitting initial public scoping comments in a new rulemaking process by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule in an effort to bring clarity on just how our natural, cultural, and recreational resources should be managed in Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRA).   

 

As a motorized recreation lead who participated in many of the “roadless” political, policy, and legal battles (circa 1998-2010), I feel this process could be used as a time for private and public stakeholders to push the reset button on this somewhat contentious issue.

My thoughts today are informed by the past but more importantly guided by my more recent experiences as a participant and/or lead in various recreation or forest health/wildfire collaboratives.

 

In my view, the Roadless Rule has raised barriers to active management that limit line-officer flexibility when it comes to planning for and/or implementing forest health, fuel reduction, or wildfire mitigation projects.   

 

Also many IRAs have popular designated OHV routes, but that same lack of flexibility in some cases severely limit consideration of designating a new connector trail, constructing a warranted trail reroute, or using a small trail tractor to perform needed route maintenance or construction activities.

 

I hope this rule-making process finds a way to amend or streamline current regulations or policy to authorize and encourage hybrid multi-objective fuel or wildfire mitigation projects that include a recreation component such as constructing a new trail or reconstructing an old trail within the project footprint to meet visitor needs.

 

I believe USDA will find both motorized and non-motorized recreation groups in strong support for the use of existing Forest Health Collaboratives that bring diverse stakeholders and partners in local communities together to increase the pace and scale of Forest health, pre/post fire mitigation, and recreation efforts.  These groups already consist of representatives from tribes, private timber companies, resource conservation districts, state and local fire agencies, cattle ranchers, conservation groups, hunters, and OHV organizations.  Why reinvent the wheel?

 

Finally, this process might want to consider revising the term IRA to a better descriptive that is more relevant. Since IRAs often contain a meaningful amount of popular roads and trails the stakeholders may want them designated as an official Backcountry area with an “active management” focus.

 

Let’s hope that all sides can agree that some form of a reset is needed to address current and future needs of these important forest lands.

 

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Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for 35 years.   Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing LLC. Don serves as the Western States Representative for the Motorcycle Industry Council. Don is Past President/CEO and current board member of the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance.  Don is a Co-Founder and Core-Team member on FireScape Mendocino, a forest health collaborative that is part of the National Fire Learning Network.  Don served as an AD Driver for the Forest Service North Zone Fire Cache during the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Fire Seasons. Don writes for Dealernews Magazine. Don is a Northern California native and writes from his home in Cottonwood, CA.