Public Lands Advocacy

National Forests in North Carolina hold some of our most beloved climbing areas. How our nation’s congress allocates laws, structure, and funding for our public lands has a direct effect on federal lands like Pisgah and Nantahala National Forest. Two recent congressional items could have lasting effects on our public lands across the US: 

1. The Proposed Rescinding of the Roadless Rule

The Roadless Rule was designed to keep our backcountry forests wild and accessible, while still allowing recreation and responsible forestry management. Roadless Rule areas were outlined to keep certain places wild without designating them as congressional Wilderness. The Roadless Rule was enacted in 2001, and has since helped protect widespread road construction and site specific timber harvest on 45 million acres of our national forests, protecting several back country experiences in remote places. You are invited April 15 to this in-person event to learn more about the Roadless Rule.  You can also take action by writing to your congressman using the Outdoor Alliance action alert at: https://www.outdooralliance.org/roadless. In North Carolina, climbing areas that lie within Roadless Rule designated areas include, but are not limited to the following: 

Grandfather District: 

Big Lost Cove 

Little Lost Cove

Chimneys

Black Fork

Appalachian Ranger District:

Black Mountain Alpine Climbs

Douglas Falls 

Pisgah Ranger District:

Slate Rock

Pilot Rock

Sams Knob

Wilderness Falls and surrounding ice climbs

Victory Wall

2. The Restructuring of the National Forest 

As part of the USDA reorganization plan, the U.S. Forest Service has announced that it will be moving its headquarters from Washington DC to Salt Lake City, UT, closing its 9 regional offices and transitioning to a state-office structure, with offices located in a handful of states. They will also be closing 55 of their 77 research facilities. 

This restructure is likely to further decrease the Forest Service's capacity. Swing over to the Outdoor Alliance and Access Fund links to read more about the reorganization from a national perspective, what lead to it, and how it affects the management and sustainability of our National Forests. In a related move this week, the CCC joined 70 organizations across the US in urging congress to appropriately fund the US Forest Service in this year’s Appropriations Bill. 

Access Fund's take: https://www.accessfund.org/latest-news/what-does-the-usfs-reorganization-mean-for-climbing

Take action at the Outdoor Alliance link: https://www.outdooralliance.org/blog/2026/4/10/forest-service-announces-reorganization-headquarters-relocation

Nathan Brown at Victory Wall, Photo by Shannon Millsaps