Wisconsin tribes oppose proposal to repeal national forest roadless protections

Tribes in Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region are opposing a Trump administration proposal to repeal long-standing protections for roadless areas on national forest land, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed repealing the federal “roadless rule,” which restricts logging and road construction on 44.7 million acres nationwide, including about 69,000 acres in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said the rule is overly restrictive and that repealing it would allow logging and forest management to reduce wildfire risk.

Wisconsin Ojibwe leaders said the proposal moved forward without tribal consultation and threatens treaty-protected resources. St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin Chairman Conrad St. John said the rollback could open lands to logging and mining that benefit corporations. Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission said roadless areas support water quality, biodiversity and wild rice beds. Tribes across the Midwest have submitted formal opposition to the repeal, according to WPR.