In Tennessee, there are 698,000 acres of National Forest System lands. About 12% of that land was considered to be inventoried roadless areas under the Roadless Rule, according to the USDA.

About 85,000 acres of backcountry in Tennessee could be opened for road construction, mining and logging under a Trump administration plan to remove protections from the most remote and untouched ...

However, the economic benefits of logging come at a steep price, according to The Wilderness Society. Cars drive by each other at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Thursday, April 10, 2025.