On August 19, 2026, the Trump administration initiated action to remove protections for 66 million acres of National Forest land from the Roadless Rule, opening previously protected areas to logging and development. In North Carolina specifically, 172,000 acres including Linville Gorge and South Mills River are at risk.
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Blue Ridge Public Radio: The U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday started the process to roll back a rule that protects 66 million acres of National Forest land from logging and development. www.wunc.org/2026-08-18/t... The rule protects 172,000 acres of land in the state from logging. Now, that may change.
this outlet adds: north, carolina, including, beloved, areas, like, parts, linville