When announcing the proposed rollback, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said the rule was \u201coverly restrictive<\/a>\u201d and the change would allow logging and proper management to prevent wildfires.<\/p>\n News with a little more humanity<\/p>\n WPR\u2019s \u201cWisconsin Today\u201d newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter.<\/p>\n But Wisconsin Ojibwe tribes said the move was conducted without consultation and threatens natural resources they rely on, said Conrad St. John, chairman of the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin.<\/p>\n \u201cThey want to log it for the mature timber. They want to mine it for the precious metals, all of which is revenue-based to create money for big corporations,\u201d St. John said.<\/p>\n The rollback comes as President Donald Trump and his administration have taken steps to boost logging<\/a> and mining<\/a> on public lands with a stated goal of creating jobs and reducing reliance on foreign nations.<\/p>\n In Wisconsin, roadless areas account for less than 5 percent of the national forest\u2019s 1.5 million acres<\/a>. <\/p>\n But Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings said they make up a vital portion of the region\u2019s national forests, saying the administration\u2019s actions show disregard for tribal sovereignty and treaty rights. He\u2019s director of public information for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, which represents 11 tribes in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.<\/p>\n \u201cThese areas support mature forest ecosystems \u2026 and these areas in particular maintain high water quality,\u201d Jennings said. \u201cThey support high levels of biodiversity and all sorts of different types of habitat that support different beings in these areas.\u201d<\/p>\n In a Nov. 26 letter<\/a>, the commission wrote that more roads and logging may increase sediment pollution that harms spawning beds for walleye, increases water temperatures and threatens wild rice beds. In November, Midwest tribes joined tribal governments nationwide in backing a resolution<\/a> opposing the repeal.<\/p>\n When USDA first adopted the rule, the agency said it barred logging and road construction in those areas because they were most likely to be fragmented.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_0388-scaled.jpg\")
St. Croix Tribal Chairman Conrad St. John speaks with tribal elder Bruce Sonnenberg at the Clam Lake boat landing on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. Danielle Kaeding\/WPR<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_0961.jpg\")
A forwarder stacks fresh cut logs on the side of a timber road in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Glen Moberg\/WPR<\/p>\n