US calls timeout on 'roadless' forest projects

Vilsack's order, which will be in effect for a year, is the latest turn in an eight-year-old battle over 58.5 million acres of pristine woods. President Bill Clinton made these areas off-limits in 2001, but President George W. Bush effectively reopened some in 2005. That led to a series of court cases that ultimately replaced the national policy with a patchwork of regional rules.

Vilsack, whose purview includes the U.S. Forest Service, did yesterday what environmental groups had been urging: call a "timeout."

Agriculture Department officials said that while the temporary order is in effect, the Obama administration and Congress would try to create a permanent policy on roadless regions. They said Vilsack's caseload was not expected to be large: Over the last eight years, one official estimated, 30 to 40 projects have been proposed in these areas.