A proposed rule would presume national forest roads and trails are open unless the Forest Service documents a reason to close them

Roads, trails, airfields and trailheads on national forest land would be presumed open unless the Forest Service documents a reason to close them, under a proposed rule that would apply nationwide, including in Alaska's Tongass and Chugach national forests. Written comments are due Sept. 23, and the agency does not plan any public meetings, so the 30-day comment period is the only way to weigh in.

The change would flip the current default. As it stands, a route not shown on the agency's official Motor Vehicle Use Map is not legally open, a point the Alaska Region's transportation plan makes flatly: "Routes not shown on the MVUM are not open to public motor vehicle travel." The proposed presumption, though, "would not itself change the legal status of any road, trail, airfield, trailhead, area, or other access route or point." Existing maps and designations would stay in effect until revised locally.

Closures would still be allowed, but the agency would have to justify them, whether required by law or existing rights, or supported by documented reasons tied to resource conditions, public safety, conflicts among users, or the agency's capacity to maintain a route. Every closed or heavily restricted route would be reviewed each year. The rule also sets terms for limited off-route motorized use, such as retrieving downed big game, gathering firewood and dispersed camping, and for designating areas for over-snow recreation.

The notice makes a point about maps and data: public imagery might show that a route or airfield exists, but that alone would not establish that it is part of the forest system, that the Forest Service has jurisdiction over it, or that it is open to any use. The agency also lists alternatives, including keeping the current rule, and says it will offer consultation to federally recognized tribes and engage Alaska Native corporations.

The proposal lands alongside a separate move the week before: on Aug. 20, the Department of Agriculture proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, which protects 58.5 million acres nationwide, including in the Tongass and Chugach, where rescission would end bans on road-building and logging. Comments on that proposal close Sept. 21, and the Forest Service says it will hold subsistence hearings in Alaska, with dates to come.