Tell Gov. Pritzker to defend our forests

Some of the oldest and most precious trees in the Shawnee National Forest are on the chopping block. 

Shawnee National Forest

When Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced plans to rescind the Roadless Rule, the future of 45 million acres of forest, from the Tongass up in Alaska to parts of the Shawnee National Forest here in Illinois, was cast into doubt.

Many of our most vital forest lands are preserved by the Roadless Rule, which prevents the construction of roads and protects largely undisturbed ecosystems from industrial logging and mining.

Undisturbed by traffic and unfragmented by roads, roadless areas are among the most ecologically rich habitats in the country.

These are the places where rare and endangered wildlife are sheltered by trees that have been growing for decades.

These mature and old-growth forests also benefit us, not only by providing idyllic nature beloved by rock climbers, hunters, hikers and birders alike, but by filtering clean drinking water and serving as a buffer against climate change by storing hundreds of millions of tons of carbon.

Tell our governor: The Roadless Rule protects so much more than just trees.

The roadless forests stand as examples of what the wildlands of the U.S. once were and what they could be again. We should be nurturing our forests, not plowing the few mature and old-growth havens we have left.

The Roadless Rule has received overwhelming support time and again. Americans want healthy forests. Now it's time for us to speak up.

The Forest Service will be seeking input from states before making its final decision, so it's crucial that governors send a clear message: Keep our wild forests intact.

Take action today to defend the Roadless Rule.

On behalf of our forests, thank you,

For more information, please contact the Environment Illinois Research & Education Center.