Birds in This Story
Cerulean Warbler
Latin: Setophaga cerulea
Scarlet Tanager
Latin: Piranga olivacea
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Latin: Dryobates borealis
Note: Audubon members—including 165 chapters and 18K+ individuals—submitted comments opposing the removal of the Roadless Rule in September. Stay tuned for opportunities to get involved as the public review process continues.
The U.S. Forest Service adopted the “Roadless Rule” in 2001 after years of public engagement, including advocacy from the recently established North Carolina office of the National Audubon Society. The rule protects nearly 58 million acres of national forest from most road building and industrial logging, including beloved and important places for birds across 144,000 acres in North Carolina, from Wilson Creek in Pisgah to Croatan National Forest on the coast.
In August, the U.S. Forest Service announced a step towards repealing this rule, potentially exposing some of the nation’s most ecologically valuable public lands and intact wildlife habitat to fragmentation.
For people, the Roadless Rule has meant more access to trails and outdoor recreation opportunities, economic boosts to local communities, and clean air and water. For birds it means greater access to large, intact, mature forests.
In North Carolina, the ancient trees of Pisgah and Nantahala are vital to nesting Cerulean Warblers; the longleaf pine forests of the Croatan are a safe haven for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers; and the interior forest of Uwharrie provide respite for Scarlet Tanagers and much more.
Through years of surveying and monitoring places across these forests in coordination with the North Carolina Forest Service, Audubon has identified many roadless sites like these as vital for birds, earning them formal designation as Important Bird Areas.
These places include:
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Wilson Creek, Harpers Creek, and Big Lost Cove Cliffs, part of the Wilson Creek/Linville Gorge IBA (Important Bird Area)
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Big Ivy and other sites that are part of the Black and Craggy Mountain IBAs
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Cheoah Bald, part of Yellow Mountain IBA
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Several sites in the Nantahala Mountains and Plott Balsams IBAs
When Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina last year, it knocked down huge swaths of trees and severely altered the landscape, making these intact areas even more important for recovery and resilience.
Audubon science shows that our shifting climate could push two-thirds of North American bird species towards extinction. For many species, roadless national forests are strongholds that will determine whether they adapt and survive. New road construction would risk permanently fragmenting habitat, degrading streams, and opening the door to further disturbance. For birds that need large, ecologically intact landscapes, even limited disturbances can be devastating.
Roadless areas also anchor local economies tied to public lands. Hunters, anglers, hikers, birders, and campers seek out these undeveloped landscapes precisely because they are quiet and home to treasured wildlife. Public demand feeds local businesses across the country, from outfitters and guides to restaurants and hotels. The outdoor industry as a whole generates an estimated $1.2 trillion annually and supports more than 5 million jobs, and the portion tied to backcountry and wildlife-based recreation is directly connected to keeping roadless areas intact.
America’s forests have stood for centuries—not as distant, inaccessible places but as landscapes that anchor our lives: sentinels of clean rivers, lakes, and streams, thriving wildlife and the bond between people and place. If you’ve walked a secluded trail, heard a hidden songbird in the woods or simply believe in preserving cherished landscapes like the Pisgah or Croatan, your voice is a part of that legacy.
Stay tuned for more opportunities to speak up for these special places and the birds they support.
