Protections on 28,500 acres in Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, Mill Creek and Parleys Canyons face a federal repeal proposal now open for public comment through Tuesday, Oct. 6.

A new peer-reviewed study gives opponents fresh ammunition. Researchers at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University analyzed 40 years of wildfire records across national forests in 11 western states and found that, in the past decade, roadless areas burned at a slightly lower rate than land with roads, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Sept. 12. Fires hit 12.9% of roadless areas compared with 14.5% of developed forest land from 2014 to 2023.

The data was more mixed in Utah, where fires burned 10.2% of developed land but 17.6% of roadless areas over the full 40-year period. Over the past decade, the gap narrowed: 4.3% of developed land and 7.5% of roadless areas burned.

The Trump administration has framed the proposed repeal of the 2001 Roadless Rule as a wildfire-reduction measure. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an August 2026 press release that the administration views current restrictions as outdated barriers to treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk.

The findings complicate that argument. The Forest Service's own draft environmental impact statement, also released in August, found that repealing the rule could lead to more fire starts because human-caused fires are more likely near roads. The analysis also found that steep, rugged terrain in Utah could limit forest thinning even without the rule.

The data doesn't support the case for more roads, according to Brad Washa, a professor of wildland fire science at Utah State University. "This is a political, social question that some are trying to use science to justify, but I don't necessarily feel that the science is saying that we need more roads in these roadless areas," Washa told the Tribune.

Local opposition is already on record. The Central Wasatch Commission (CWC) unanimously opposed the rescission in October 2025. Jeff Silvestrini, Millcreek mayor and CWC board chair, said at the time that the roadless designation had not impeded fuels management and that fires often start along roads.

Fire mitigation is already underway under the current rule. The Salt Lake Ranger District is planning fuel treatments on up to 1,324 acres of roadless areas as part of the Big Cottonwood Canyon Watershed Restoration Project.

The Roadless Rule protects nearly 45 million acres of National Forest System lands nationwide from new road construction and logging. In Utah, the rule covers nearly 60% of National Forest System lands, according to the CWC.

More than 125,000 public comments had been submitted as of Sept. 11, when the USDA announced a 15-day extension of the original Sept. 21 deadline, according to a Federal Register notice. Comments can be submitted at Regulations.gov under docket number FS-2025-0001.