United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2000-11-08 monographic deposited born digital 46 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-47 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-47 P0b002ee180393ae0 f:d0147 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-47 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-47 GAO-01-47 National forests Forest management Environmental policies Agency missions Forest conservation Strategic planning Road construction Proposed legislation USDA National Forest System Boise National Forest (ID) Payette National Forest (ID) Routt National Forest (CO) Malheur National Forest (OR) Umatilla National Forest (OR) Uinta National Forest (UT) Tahoe National Forest (CA) Shasta-Trinity National Forest (CA) White Mountain National Forest (NH) George Washington National Forest (VA/WV) Letter Report The Forest Service manages about 192 million acres of land that makes up the National Forest System. The agency has proposed to make ecological sustainability its top priority in an attempt to sustain a flow of products, services and values from the national forests and grasslands. One of the most debated issues on how the Forest Service should do this is the role of roads, especially in areas that are now roadless. This report summarizes GAO's findings on how the potential roadless rule will affect the Forest Service's ability to meet its goals of restoring and maintaining ecological sustainability. GAO found that building roads in national forests can have both positive and negative effects. Road construction can alter a forest's ecosystem by facilitating timber harvesting and disturbing wildlife. However, roads can be used to repair environmental damage done by other activities. Forest Service officials at the ten national forests that GAO reviewed provided general observations on the proposed rule. GAO's review stated that the proposed rule would have little effect on forest management efforts because there was no plan to build roads in roadless areas if determined that doing so would restore the forest's ecosystem. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-47/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-47.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-47/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-47.pdf GAO-01-47 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-47 Letter Report GAO-01-47; Forest Service Roadless Areas: Potential Impact of; National forests Forest management Environmental policies Agency missions Forest conservation Strategic planning Road construction Proposed legislation USDA National Forest System Boise National Forest (ID) Payette National Forest (ID) Routt National Forest (CO) Malheur National Forest (OR) Umatilla National Forest (OR) Uinta National Forest (UT) Tahoe National Forest (CA) Shasta-Trinity National Forest (CA) White Mountain National Forest (NH) George Washington National Forest (VA/WV)