New Study Finds Roads Increase Forest Fires, But USDA Pushes for More Access
Despite claims that more roads are needed to fight wildfires, a new study shows roads actually contribute to more forest fires. As the USDA prepares to roll back limits on roadbuilding, critics say the move is really to benefit the timber industry.
Roads can be a double-edged sword when it comes to managing wildfires in remote forests. While officials argue that increased road access is necessary to fight blazes, a new study suggests that roads may actually contribute to more fire ignitions in these areas.
When the Trump administration announced plans last year to rescind a rule limiting roadbuilding and timber harvests on millions of acres of national forests and grasslands, officials claimed the repeal was necessary to prevent and manage wildfires. However, as the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) prepares to release its draft environmental impact statement for the rescission, that justification is starting to unravel.
On average, about 8 million acres have burned each year between 2017 and 2021, according to the Congressional Budget Office, nearly double the average from 1987 to 1991. Wildfires on federal lands average about five times the size of those in the rest of the country, leading some of the nation's top land managers to argue that national forests are a front line for fighting the nation's steep increase in wildland blazes.
Source: Ars Technica
