Roadless Rule faces repeal, Burke weighs potential impacts

A proposal to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule could eventually change how portions of Burke County’s Pisgah National Forest are managed. Though local officials say any immediate impact would likely be limited, Burke locals say the rescission could affect “Nature’s Playground.”

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule — adopted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) just days before President Bill Clinton left office — prohibited most road construction and timber harvesting in designated, inventoried roadless areas of national forests.

Since late summer 2025, the USDA has been exploring the idea of rescinding the rule, coming to a standstill earlier this year waiting for the U.S. Forest Service to present an environmental impact statement before a public comment period could open.

However, in mid-June, Utah Senator Mike Lee introduced an amendment to the Wildfire Prevention Act that would repeal the Roadless Rule and bypass the USDA’s ongoing process.

“The intent to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule is to return to local decision making as part of individual national forest and grassland plans,” said Adam Rondeau, a local public affairs officer with the U.S. Forest Service, covering Burke and several surrounding counties.

Burke is home to more than 6,000 acres of inventoried roadless area across the Pisgah National Forest, which encompasses the northwestern section of the county.

Rondeau explained that the steep terrain and remote locations in many areas in Burke make road construction impractical, and the Roadless Rule rescission will likely have minimal impacts in the county.

EXEMPTIONS TO RESCISSION

Linville Gorge, which is embedded in the Pisgah National Forest, acts as one of the county’s largest attractions for tourists, and wouldn’t be affected, due to the Wilderness Act of 1964.

The Wilderness Act authorized Congress to designate wilderness areas, intending to keep them free of human impact.

Even if the Roadless Rule is repealed, the Wilderness Act still preserves many of the tourist and local-friendly areas Burke County holds dear.

However, according to Michael Gaffney, the conservation and GIS specialist at the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, the future of the national forest in Burke becomes largely dependent on individual forest planning and the needs that become prevalent once the doors are opened.

“It’s definitely not a five-alarm fire immediately,” Gaffney explained. “Down the road, it may be the case that we learn there is interest in timbering these places. Then, the public might want to speak out.”

“The flip side is always that these places are susceptible to wildfire, and it’s definitely true that managing wildfires are a lot easier if you have road access. Roads not only let fire workers get into these places, it also serves as a break for fires. Unless they’re really big, they can’t hop over a road very easily.”

According to Gaffney, people have been suing the government since the rule’s implementation, and the current potential rescission traces back to the western United States, not only for wildfire suppression, but also for the timber industry.

ECOLOGICAL CONCERNS

Former Western Piedmont Community College Biology Professor Jessica Howells wasn’t so sure Burke was in the clear.

“Logging is still a pretty big industry in North Carolina,” she said, pointing to caveats already in the Roadless Rule for the expansion of roads when necessary, such as for wildfire suppression or emergency responses.

Her main concern, past the cleaner air and water that forests provide, traced back to habitat fragmentation.

“If you look at the entire food chain, any kind of disturbance, like building roads (or) encroachment on habitat, is going to impact all of the food chain,” Howells explained.

“In this particular area, in Morganton, what our draw is is the forest — the Pisgah National Forest. … We have this beautiful place that people love to come to. They come because it brings peace and solace. You can camp and hike and fish and rock climb and do all these wonderful things. It’d be a shame to take steps to impact that to just benefit a few. What benefit is there to this, really?”