Forest Service Travel Management Rule Status and Directives NOHVCC/NAOPM Conference Houston, TX March 26, 2009
What is the Travel Management Rule? Requires designation of roads, trails, and areas open to motor vehicle use by vehicle class and, if appropriate, by time of year. Provides a consistent, national framework for local decisions. Requires public involvement and coordination with state and local government agencies, and tribal governments. Prohibits motor vehicle use off the designated system, or inconsistent with the designations, with the publication of the motor vehicle use map.
Dispersed Camping, Big Game Retrieval Allows for the limited use of motor vehicles within a specified distance of certain forest roads and trails, solely for dispersed camping or big game retrieval (36 CFR 212.51(b)). To be used sparingly.
What is the Timeline? Schedule to complete MVUMs by 12/31/09 set by Chief Bosworth Work began in December of 2005 Cumulative number of National Forests and Grasslands completing designations/mvum by fiscal year (as of Jan 2009): FY07: 36 FY08: 63 FY09: 139 (projected) FY10 (1 st quarter): 179 (projected)
What Work is Required for Designation? It depends, in 2005: 77% of NFS lands were open to crosscountry travel or existing routes. 23% of NFS lands limited motor vehicle use to system routes (and areas).
Public Participation Interest and controversy is high one public meeting in CA was attended by 450 people Some meetings are very contentious Some publics are concerned about losing motorized opportunities, others are concerned that too many routes and areas will be designated A high level of expertise is needed to successfully organize and implement quality public participation
What s all the talk about the MVUM? (Recent MVUM Changes/Purpose) Additional symbols to help orient the visitor (campgrounds, picnic areas, peaks, FS offices) Ability to show township, range, and section lines NFS lands now shaded gray instead of white Additional symbols to differentiate between interstate highways, state and US highways, and other public roads New symbol for special designations Added method for displaying short roads
MVUM Changes, cont d May use campground symbol in place of campground roads Added symbol for political boundaries Improved instructions, added advice on how to produce a high quality map, added training Dispersed camping symbol can be shown on one side of the road Travel Management Rule changed to allow displaying dispersed camping and big game retrieval along roads not under FS jurisdiction May hand stamp effective date
Where Do We Go From Here? Implementation Guide being developed: Information and Education Managing Designated Routes and Areas Sign Guide Volunteers and Partners Law Enforcement Monitoring
ENTERING MOTOR VEHICLE RESTRICTION AREA Sign Guide Examples STAY ON ROUTES DESIGNATED ON MOTOR VEHICLE USE MAP AREA BOUNDARY ENTERING NO MOTOR xxxx VEHICLE USE ALLOWED YEARLONG MOTOR VEHICLE BEYOND THIS USE POINT AREA MOTOR VEHICLES ALLOWED YEARLONG For more information, refer to the Helena Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map or call 406-329-3312
Highlights of New Travel Management Policy (Forest Service Directives) Purpose: Provide more specific guidance to implement the TMR Identify the process for route and area designations, travel analysis, mixed use analysis OHV management guidance To provide consistent direction nationally Draft issued March 2007 33 comment letters received Final effective January 2009
FS Folks Might Want to Know: Policy can be found at: FSM 2350 Trail management FSM 7700 and 7710 Travel Management and Travel Planning FSH 7709.55 Travel Planning Handbook Chapter 10 Travel Planning for Designations Chapter 20 Travel Analysis Chapter 30 Engineering Analysis
Definitions Replaces user-created routes with unauthorized routes. Added definitions for motorcycle, over-snow vehicle, route, and utility terrain vehicle. Licensing, certification, or registration under a state recreation fee or green sticker program does not make an OHV highway-legal.
Definitions, Cont d Wheeled vehicles are not over-snow vehicles. Routes allowing wheeled vehicles over-snow must be designated and shown on a MVUM.
Definitions, Cont d Wheeled vehicles modified with tracks to run on snow are over-snow vehicles.
Resource Protection Considerations Management objectives are required for trails, roads, and areas. Use applicable criteria in rule for identifying effects to monitor (effects on natural resources, conflicts, public safety, etc). Monitor on a regular basis.
Resource Protection Considerations, Cont d Designate areas on NFS lands only when they have natural resource characteristics that are suitable for motor vehicle use or are so altered.
Definitions Relationship Between Roads and Motorized Trails Road is a route >50 unless id d as a trail. Trail is a route < or = 50 or > 50 if id d as a trail. Roads and motorized trails provide different recreation opportunities and may serve different purposes. Driving on trails may present different challenges and require different skills
Relationship Between Roads and Motorized Trails, Cont d Trails are generally characterized by narrower treads and clearing limits, slower speeds, narrower turning radii, and a more intimate experience with the surrounding landscape. roads (often provide a recreation experience) are usually intended to provide access for multiple purposes and may connect neighboring communities.
Road or Trail?
Converting Roads to Trails When considering converting unneeded roads to trails or identifying coincidental routes, consider: Whether the route would provide a recreation experience consistent with trail management objectives; Environmental effects of the continued existence of the route; Need for mitigation, removal, repair, or alteration of structures along the route; and Long-term trail maintenance and available funding. Local engineering and recreation staffs should coordinate.
So Who Cares? Different appropriation for maintenance Different management objectives Identifying a route as a trail when it appears to be a road may cause concern
Where Should FS Resources Go? Extreme paraphrasing: Take care of the roads and trails on our system. Decommission the roads we don t need. Consider decommissioning duplicative trails. Don t take care of what we don t have. Think very carefully before deciding to build new roads and trails Consider maintenance costs Consider available resources Do it for a good reason (roads) Avoid adding routes to the system if we don t have a way to maintain them.
Motor Vehicle Use Map Forests must follow the MVUM production guide What it must display (and not) MVUM must be available at appropriate Forest Service offices and on internet Hard copy must be free Review and reissue annually (changed from update)
Travel Analysis Not required for those administrative units and ranger districts that have issued a proposed action as of January 8, 2009. Travel analysis for identification of the minimum road system is separate from travel analysis for designation of routes and areas.
Designation Details Designated Areas - Motor vehicle use in a designated area may not be restricted by type of activity. Concurrence from public road authority - Where motor vehicles are allowed for dispersed camping or big game retrieval along non-fs roads, written concurrence is required from the applicable road authority. Parking (not camping) - Units need to specify either that parking is allowed within one vehicle length, or within a specified distance of up to 30 feet, from the edge of the road surface.
Designation Details, Cont d Should consider additional criteria: Existing and future needs of motor vehicle users. Uses on adjacent federal, state, and private lands. Uses exempt from designations, including use by oversnow vehicles. Non-motorized uses. Unauthorized routes, as appropriate. Changes in motor vehicle technology.
Where do we go from here? Intend to make corrections, clarifications to directives, as needed Directives are available at: http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/ Questions?