Spiking Roadless Rule is 'Mandate in Search of a Problem,' Experts Say

Across Montana this March, hundreds of people have been turning out to testify in support of the Roadless Rule. But for many, the bigger question was: Why are we here at all?

“Why are we turning our attention to these high-elevation forests which don’t provide economic returns?” asked Jim Burchfield, former dean of the University of Montana School of Forestry. “This is a wrong-headed, dramatic mandate in search of a problem.”

Burchfield was one of many speakers with deep knowledge of forest ecology and economy who spoke at seven rallies from Libby to Bozeman organized by a coalition of environ...