| | Umpqua National Forest to Hold Travel Management Planning Workshops
Jun 5, 2009Forest Service officials will host workshops on June 20th and 25th to familiarize the public with the proposed action for motorized travel management on the Umpqua National Forest and gather comments for alternatives to the proposed action.www.fs.fed.us/r6/umpqua/projects/travel/.
The 2005 Travel Management Rule requires that all Forests designate routes and areas open to motorized use by type of vehicle, and season of use. Travel management planning on the Umpqua is specific to wheeled vehicles and does not address over-the-snow vehicles or watercraft. The Umpqua National Forest released the proposed action for the Travel Management Plan on the Forest in April.
Currently, 57 percent of the Forest is closed, either all year or seasonally, to overland travel (off existing roads and trails) by motorized vehicles through Forest Plan Decisions, Forest Orders, or statutory closures such as wilderness. The remaining area (43 percent) is currently unregulated and open to overland travel by motorized vehicles. The proposed action would limit motorized use to designated roads, trails and areas and close the remaining Forest to overland travel by motorized vehicles.
Currently there are 4,739 miles of roads open to motor vehicle use on the Forest. The proposed action would designate 4,166 miles open to motor vehicle use.
ROADS (type of use) CURRENT (miles) PROPOSED (miles)
Highway-legal vehicles only 537 360
Mixed use (highway-legal and off-road vehicles) 2,998 3,175
Vehicles 50 inches wide or less and 800 pounds or less 1,204 631*
Total miles open to motorized use 4,739 4,166
* These roads would be designated as motorized trails
Of the 543 miles of trails on the Forest, 154 miles (28 percent) are currently open to motorized use. The proposed action would designate 86 miles of these existing trails open to motorized use.
TRAILS (type of use) CURRENT (miles) PROPOSED (miles)
Class 3 only (motorcycles) 12 61
Class 1 and 3 only (quads and motorcycles) 135 18
Class 1 and 2 and 3 (all vehicles) 7 7
Total miles open to motorized use 154 86
The proposed action would also designate 517 miles of dispersed camping corridors along motorized routes which would allow motorized access to dispersed campsites within 150 feet on each side of the road.
For additional information, contact Scott Elefritz at 541-957-3437 or selefritz@fs.fed.us. If you plan on attending an Open House and need special accommodations, please call in advance.
To learn more about the Travel Management Rule, please visit www.fs.fed.us/r6/umpqua/projects/travel/ or call your local Forest Service office. 06/25/09 - Umpqua National Forest Travel Management workshop - Cottage Grove 06/20/09 - Umpqua National Forest Travel Management workshop - Roseburg Umpqua National Forest Travel Management Planning [details] Umpqua National Forest to Hold Travel Management Planning Workshops - USFS press release 6/4/09 [details] Umpqua National Forest |
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