Amendment to Wildfire Prevention Act Undermines Forest Management, Leaves Wildlife Habitat Vulnerable

DENVER - Senator Mike Lee's (R-UT) amendment to repeal the Roadless Rule in the Wildfire Prevention Act undermines a bill to improve forest management, which may have garnered bipartisan support in the Senate. Repealing the Roadless Rule threatens important wildlife habitat and disrupts migration corridors for species like elk, mule deer, bears, and fish species like cutthroat trout and salmon.

"We need better forest management and prescribed fire to protect communities, increase biodiversity, and ensure clean water for tens of millions of Americans. Senator Lee's amendment only endangers that effort," said David Dreher, senior manager of public lands policy with the National Wildlife Federation. "The Roadless Rule could be updated, but a wholesale repeal worsens habitat fragmentation and jeopardizes species that depend on connected swaths of land to migrate, mate and find food."