    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [October 13, 1999]
    [Pages 1765-1766]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1765]]

    Memorandum on Protection of Forest Roadless Areas
    October 13, 1999

    Memorandum for the Secretary of Agriculture

    Subject: Protection of Forest ``Roadless'' Areas

        At the start of this century, President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated
    this Nation to the conservation of natural resources--our land, our
    water, our wildlife, and all the other precious gifts nature had
    bestowed upon us. One of America's great central tasks, he declared, is
    ``leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is
    for us.''
        In pursuit of that goal, President Roosevelt established new
    protections for millions upon millions of acres across America. His
    remarkable legacy includes 5 national parks, 18 national monuments, and
    dozens of wildlife refuges. Among his most notable conservation
    achievements were the consolidation of 65 million acres of Federal
    forest reserves into the National Forest System, and the creation of the
    United States Forest Service to ensure wise stewardship of these lands
    for future generations. In this effort, he was guided by Gifford
    Pinchot, the first Chief of the Forest Service and a founder of
    America's conservation movement.
        Today, the National Forest System has grown to 192 million acres of
    forests and grasslands in 46 States and territories. These lands provide
    a broad array of benefits to the American people. They support rural
    industries, sustain fish and wildlife, generate drinking water for 60
    million Americans, and provide important recreation opportunities to an
    increasingly urban population.
        Over the years, unfortunately, our Nation has not always honored
    President Roosevelt's vision. Too often, we have favored resource
    extraction over conservation, degrading our forests and the critical
    natural values they sustain. As the consequences of these actions have
    become more apparent, the American people have expressed growing concern
    and have called on us to restore balance to their forests.
        My Administration has made significant strides in improving the
    management of our Federal forestlands. Beginning with the adoption of a
    comprehensive, science-based forest plan for the Pacific Northwest, we
    have sought to strengthen protections for wildlife, water quality, and
    other vital ecological values, while ensuring a steady, sustainable
    supply of timber and other commodities to support stable rural
    economies. The new forest planning regulation proposed last month
    represents another major step in that direction.
        It is time now, I believe, to address our next challenge--the fate
    of those lands within the National Forest System that remain largely
    untouched by human intervention.
        A principal defining characteristic of these lands is that they do
    not have, and in most cases never have had, roads across them. We know
    from earlier inventories that there are more than 40 million acres of
    ``roadless'' area within the National Forest System, generally in
    parcels of 5,000 acres or more. A temporary moratorium on road building
    in most of these areas has allowed us time to assess their ecological,
    economic, and social values and to evaluate long-term options for their
    management.
        In weighing the future of these lands, we are presented with a
    unique historic opportunity. From the Appalachian Mountains to the
    Sierra Nevada, these are some of the last, best unprotected wildlands in
    America. They are vital havens for wildlife--indeed, some are absolutely
    critical to the survival of endangered species. They are a source of
    clean, fresh water for countless communities. They offer unparalleled
    opportunities for hikers, campers, hunters, anglers, and others to
    experience unspoiled nature. In short, these lands bestow upon us unique
    and irreplaceable benefits. They are a treasured inheritance--enduring
    remnants of an untrammeled wilderness that once stretched from ocean to
    ocean.
        Accordingly, I have determined that it is in the best interest of
    our Nation, and of future generations, to provide strong and lasting
    protection for these forests, and I am directing you to initiate
    administrative proceedings to that end.
        Specifically, I direct the Forest Service to develop, and propose
    for public comment, regulations to provide appropriate long-term
    protection for most or all of these currently inventoried ``roadless''
    areas, and to determine whether such protection is warranted for any
    smaller ``roadless'' areas not yet inventoried. The public,

    [[Page 1766]]

    and all interested parties, should have the opportunity to review and
    comment on the proposed regulations. In the final regulations, the
    nature and degree of protections afforded should reflect the best
    available science and a careful consideration of the full range of
    ecological, economic, and social values inherent in these lands.
        I commend you, along with the Undersecretary for Natural Resources
    and the Environment, Jim Lyons, the Chief of the
    Forest Service, Michael Dombeck, and the entire
    Forest Service for your leadership in strengthening and modernizing the
    management of our Federal forests--lands held by us in trust for all
    Americans and for future generations. With the new effort we launch
    today, we can feel confident that we have helped to fulfill and extend
    the conservation legacy of Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot, and
    to ensure that the 21st century is indeed a new century for America's
    forests.

                                                          William J. Clinton