Forest Service Off-Road Vehicle Rule Resource

Chief Releases Travel Planning Schedule and Clarifying Direction

Schedule for Implementation (PDF)
Travel Management Schedule (PDF)
Travel Management Summary (PDF)
Explanatory Notes (PDF)

View Forest Service Travel Management & Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Program website.

Forest Service Travel Planning/Off-Road Vehicle Rules Not Tough Enough

The U.S. Forest Service has finalized new rules concerning use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles on America's National Forests. Although they represent a step forward, they fall far short of what is needed to address one of the greatest threats to National Forests.


Read our newsletter article on the New Rule - Summary Analysis of Forest Service Off-Road Vehicle Regulations (PDF)
Detailed analysis of Forest Service Off-Road Vehicle Regulations (PDF)
ORV Rule & Additional Information

Forest Service Off-Road Vehicle Regulations Summary Analysis November 2005

The Forest Service recently released final changes to travel management regulations intended to confine off-road vehicle travel to "designated routes" throughout the national forests and grasslands. Off-road vehicles have proliferated dramatically in recent years, affecting soil, water, and wildlife resources, spreading noxious weeds, and exacerbating conflicts with other outdoor enthusiasts. The new regulations acknowledge the problem, but fail to provide strong remedies for an entrenched issue that is clearly out of control.

Positive Features of the new 36 CFR 212

• Designated routes will prohibit the currently authorized practice of widespread cross-country travel.
• Travel "use maps" will govern what is permissible; no requirement that closure signs be present on-site.
• Forest Service may adopt previous route designations without further analysis.
• The agency discourages forests from inventorying all unauthorized, user-created renegade routes.

Problem Features

• There is no mention of the 1999 conservation petition for rulemaking.
• The rule substitutes murky language in place of clear, direct language in off-road vehicle Executive Orders, E.O.s. 11644 and 11989.
• The rule does not limit the designation of renegade routes.
• The rule allows cross-country travel for big game retrieval and dispersed camping
• There is no deadline for completing the route analysis and designation process.
• Analysis units may be as small as a ranger district, making consistency difficult and expensive.
• There is no additional funding for planning and enforcement.
• There is no longer a requirement for annual monitoring.
• The overarching issue of how to balance competing interests between motorized and "quiet" recreationists is not addressed.
• Snowmachines and personal watercraft are not addressed.

Taken as a whole, the new regulation represents a small step in the right direction, but the breadth and depth of the issue requires much bolder action - the kind of action envisioned by the E.O.s. The new regulation is non-responsive to the basic premise that off-road vehicle use is inherently problematic, and must be carefully regulated to protect natural resources and minimize conflicts with other users of public lands. A deeper question must be asked - does the Forest Service have the will to confine off-road vehicle activity to routes and areas that truly minimize their impacts on other people and resources? The answer to that question will be found in the travel planning and off-road vehicle route designation process that unfold in the years to come.