The state of Colorado is attempting to institute a roadless forest management rule that could set a dangerous precedent for the nation’s roadless forests, potentially paving the way for fewer forest protections nationwide.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a revised rule that would exempt the state’s 4.2 million acres of roadless forests from the 2001 national Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protects 58 million acres of the nation’s most pristine forests.