Want more elk and hunting opportunities? Keep the ‘roadless rule’

The management of about 38% of Montana’s national forest lands is guided by the 2001 Roadless Rule, which generally prevents new road construction while allowing for a multitude of other uses, including Off Highway Vehicle riding on motorized trails, firewood cutting, grazing, habitat improvements, camping, and of course, hunting and fishing.

Because these public lands are intact, they provide irreplaceable big game habitat and security cover which keeps elk on public land and provide the backcountry experiences many hunters seek. Hunters have long relied on these chunks of wild land to disperse pressure and, importantly, hold game. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), fewer roads mean more elk and greater hunter satisfaction.

Yet despite a quarter century of success providing balanced, multiple-use public land management, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, has taken steps to repeal the Roadless Rule.

This week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that the agency will publish a notice of intent to rescind the Roadless Rule on Aug. 29. The public will have just 21 days, through Sept. 19, to comment. For an issue of this magnitude—one that will affect nearly 45 million acres of national forest land across the country—three weeks is not nearly enough.

If this repeal happens, we could see new roads bulldozed into the backcountry, pushing elk onto private lands where they are often inaccessible to hunters.

So why undo something so favorable to sportsmen? One common argument is that more roads would allow hazardous fuels reduction work. However, research shows that roads actually lead to more fires, either from mechanical issues from vehicles, or simply because more roads mean more people, and people don’t always listen to Smokey Bear. Nearly nine of 10 wildfires are human-caused, and 78% of those start within a half-mile of a road.

Fire mitigation already happens in roadless areas. These are not wilderness areas; mechanized thinning and prescribed burning already occur here. Since the Roadless Rule was enacted in 2001, more than 350,000 acres in Montana roadless areas have been treated for hazardous fuels reduction, representing more than a quarter of all treatments in our state during this timeframe.

Then there’s maintenance. We can’t afford to maintain the 371,000 miles of roads already in our national forests. The Forest Service has an $8 billion maintenance backlog, half due solely to existing, dilapidated roads. What makes us think we can afford to build and maintain more?

The management of our public lands isn’t perfect, but more roads are not the answer—and the public agrees. When the Roadless Rule was created, hundreds of meetings were hosted across the country, including 24 in Montana, and more than 1.5 million public comments were submitted, with 67% of Montanans supporting strong safeguards for roadless areas. Now, the public has just 21 days to comment. That is unacceptable.

Any public land hunter who uses mapping layers to find unpressured big game on national forests, especially elk, should support of our backcountry roadless lands. Otherwise, you can expect more hunters and fewer elk in your favorite spots.

Mike Mershon is Montana Wildlife Federation’s Board Chair and President. Jake Schwaller is Montana Backcountry Hunters & Anglers’ Board Chair. Both hunters live in Billings.