Making sweeping decisions about forest management are always controversial, that's a given. But for almost exactly 20 years now, the Roadless Rule of the U.S. Forest Service has stood up, prohibiting logging, roadbuilding, and other activities on 58 million acres of federal land.
The Trump administration made changes, removing Roadless Rule protections from a major chunk of Alaska's celebrated Tongass National forest. Jim Furnish has a bone to pick with the ruling, along with many other people.
Furnish worked for the USDA Forest Service for 34 years, including a stint running the Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon. He was involved in crafting the Roadless Rule, and joins us with some thoughts on its use and the efforts to curtail it.