The U.S. Agriculture Department said last week a barrage of court decisions blocking a Clinton-era plan to protect millions of acres of forest land has forced the agency to make significant changes and slowed implementation of the rule. The measure, signed days before President Clinton left office in January, 2001, would prevent road construction and the removal of oil or lumber from 58.5 million acres of federal forest land, unless needed for environmental reasons or to reduce the risk of wildfires.