About 90 percent of Americans depend on public water systems, with much of that supply originating from forested lands. Policies governing forests therefore influence water quality and availability. The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule protected 60 million acres of national forest from road construction and industrial logging. A recent University of Washington and Conservation Science Partners study published in PLOS Water maps how these areas support rivers. Researchers examined nearly 110,000 square miles of national forest across 2,488 roadless zones. They identified more than 80,000 miles of rivers receiving protection under the rule, including nearly 62,000 miles shielded solely by it. This water ultimately serves 25 million people. Forested watersheds naturally filter contaminants, lowering treatment costs for utilities. Roadless areas also provide critical habitat for species such as bull trout and support recreational fishing and hunting. Federal plans to rescind the rule have drawn strong public opposition, with over 99 percent of comments against the change. Scientists note that road building could raise wildfire risks and degrade water quality through increased sediment and pollution.
