The Trump administration is reviewing how millions of acres of wilderness and other undeveloped federal lands are managed across Idaho and the West, opening several longstanding federal policies to public comment through Aug. 14.
The Interior Department is examining policies used by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to manage designated wilderness, wilderness study areas and other lands with wilderness characteristics. The review does not remove any land from the National Wilderness Preservation System or alter congressionally established wilderness boundaries; instead, it focuses on the administrative guidance agencies use to manage those lands, and Interior is asking the public whether that guidance should be updated, clarified or revised.
The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing three manuals: Manual 6340, which governs congressionally designated wilderness; Manual 6330, addressing wilderness study areas; and Manual 6320, covering lands with wilderness characteristics and how they factor into federal land-use planning. The National Park Service is reviewing Director’s Order 41, its primary wilderness stewardship guidance, and the Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing its policies for wilderness areas within the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The review comes as debates intensify over wildfire management, public access and federal control of Western lands. Federal wilderness protections generally bar motorized and mechanized uses to preserve undeveloped character, but those restrictions can also complicate trail maintenance, emergency response and wildfire prevention work — an issue that has drawn increased attention as large portions of the West have experienced more destructive fires. Expanding access to public lands and granting federal managers greater flexibility have been central to the administration’s broader public lands agenda.
The Wilderness Society has warned that changes resulting from the review could weaken protections for wilderness study areas and other undeveloped federal lands. The organization estimates nearly 200 million acres nationwide fall within the categories of land covered by the policies under review, and it is encouraging supporters to submit comments opposing changes that would reduce existing protections.
Congress retains sole authority to designate or remove federal wilderness areas; the current Interior process addresses only how agencies administer land under existing law. Interior has not proposed specific revisions, and the review is intended to gather public input and recommendations that agencies can consider before deciding whether changes are warranted.
The issue carries particular weight in Idaho, home to some of the largest wilderness areas in the Lower 48. The Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness alone spans more than 2.3 million acres, and the state also includes the Selway-Bitterroot, Gospel-Hump and numerous other wilderness areas and wilderness study areas that support hunting, fishing, hiking, rafting and other recreation while presenting management challenges tied to their size, remoteness and access restrictions.
The public comment period closes Aug. 14, 2026.