Road, Trail and Related Definitions

Road, Trail and Related Definitions – 2011

As the Forest Service implements  its new guidance to identify a minimum road system and decommissioning opportunities, (see related article)  it is useful to have a current list of applicable definitions. Many of these have not changed in many years, and the definitions below appear in the Forest Service Manual that was updated when the agency revised it travel management directives in Jan. 2009.

The following definitions come from FSM 7705, and are followed by FSM 7734 describing decommissioning treatments. Please note, definitions with CFR citations are explicitly defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, while terms without such a citation are defined administratively by the Forest Service.  Such administrative definitions can be adapted or changed internally, while definitions in the CFRs must go through a formal rulemaking process to be changed

Definitions

Administrative Unit.  A national forest, a national grassland, a purchase unit, a land utilization project, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Land Between the Lakes, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, or other comparable unit of the NFS (36 CFR 212.1).

All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV).  A type of off-highway vehicle that travels on three or more low-pressure tires; has handle-bar steering; is less than or equal to 50 inches in width; and has a seat designed to be straddled by the operator.

Area.  A discrete, specifically delineated space that is smaller, and in most cases much smaller, than a ranger district (36 CFR 212.1).

Arterial Road.  An NFS road that provides service to large land areas and usually connects with other arterial roads or public highways.

Bridge.  A road or trail structure, including supports, erected over a depression or obstruction such as water, a road, trail or railway and having a deck for carrying traffic or other loads.

Collector Road.  An NFS road that serves smaller areas than an arterial road and that usually connects arterial roads to local roads or terminal facilities.

Designated Road, Trail, or Area.  An NFS road, an NFS trail, or an area on NFS lands that is designated for motor vehicle use pursuant to 36 CFR 212.51 on an MVUM
(36 CFR 212.1).

Engineering Analysis.  An analysis and evaluation conducted by a qualified engineer or under the supervision of a qualified engineer of an NFS road, road segment, or road system being considered for motorized mixed use.  The analysis and evaluation may include recommended mitigation measures.  The analysis may be simply documentation of engineering judgment or may be a more complex engineering report that includes many factors related to motorized mixed use.

Engineering Judgment.  The evaluation of available information and the application of engineering principles, standards, guidance, and practices for the purpose of considering motorized mixed use of a road.  Engineering judgment shall be exercised by a qualified engineer or by an individual who is working under the supervision of a qualified engineer and who is applying procedures and criteria established by the qualified engineer.  

Engineering Report.  A report that analyzes risk factors pertaining to a proposed designation of a road for motorized mixed use, that is signed by a qualified engineer, and that is presented to the responsible official.  The report may identify alternatives, as well as risks associated with those alternatives, for mitigation of factors contributing to the probability and severity of crashes.

Forest Road or Trail.  A road or trail wholly or partly within or adjacent to and serving the NFS that the Forest Service determines is necessary for the protection, administration, and utilization of the NFS and the use and development of its resources (36 CFR 212.1).

Forest Transportation Atlas.  A display of the system of roads, trails, and airfields of an administrative unit (36 CFR 212.1).

Forest Transportation Facility.  A forest road or trail or an airfield that is displayed in a forest transportation atlas, including bridges, culverts, parking lots, marine access facilities, safety devices, and other improvements appurtenant to the forest transportation system (36 CFR 212.1).

Forest Transportation System.  The system of NFS roads, NFS trails, and airfields on NFS lands (36 CFR 212.1).

Forest Transportation System Management.  Travel planning, analysis, designation of roads, trails and areas for motor vehicle use, recordkeeping, scheduling, construction, reconstruction, maintenance, decommissioning, and other operations undertaken to achieve environmentally sound, safe, and cost-effective access for the use, enjoyment, protection, administration, and management of NFS lands.

Highway-Legal Vehicle.  Any motor vehicle that is licensed or certified under state law for general operation on all public roads in the state.  Operators of highway-legal vehicles are subject to state traffic law, including requirements for operator licensing.

Jurisdiction Over a Forest Transportation Facility.  The legal right to control or regulate use of a forest transportation facility derived from title, an easement, an agreement, or other similar source.  

Local Road.  An NFS road that connects a terminal facility with collector roads, arterial roads, or public highways and that usually serves a single purpose involving intermittent use.  

Motor Vehicle.  Any vehicle which is self-propelled, other than:

a.  A vehicle operated on rails; and
b.  Any wheelchair or mobility device, including one that is battery-powered, that is designed solely for use by a mobility-impaired person for locomotion and that is suitable for use in an indoor pedestrian area (36 CFR 212.1).

Motor Vehicle Use Map.  A map reflecting designated roads, trails, and areas on an administrative unit or a ranger district of the NFS (36 CFR 212.1).

Motorcycle.  A two-wheeled motor vehicle on which the two wheels are not side-by-side but in line.

Motorized Mixed Use.  Designation of an NFS road for use by both highway-legal and non-highway-legal motor vehicles.  

National Forest System Road.  A forest road other than a road which has been authorized by a legally documented right-of-way held by a state, county, or local public road authority (36 CFR 212.1).

National Forest System Trail.  A forest trail other than a trail which has been authorized by a legally documented right-of-way held by a state, county, or local public road authority (36 CFR 212.1).

Non-Highway-Legal Vehicle.  Any motor vehicle that is not licensed or certified under state law for general operation on all public roads within the state.  Operators of non-highway-legal vehicles are subject to state requirements, if any, for licensing and operation of the vehicle in question.

Off-Highway Vehicle.  Any motor vehicle designed for or capable of cross-country travel on or immediately over land, water, sand, snow, ice, marsh, swampland, or other natural terrain (36 CFR 212.1).

Over-Snow Vehicle.  A motor vehicle that is designed for use over snow and that runs on a track or tracks and/or a ski or skis, while in use over snow (36 CFR 212.1).

Primitive Area.  An area within the NFS classified as primitive on the effective date of the Wilderness Act, September 3, 1964 (36 CFR 261.2).

Private Road.  A road under private ownership authorized by an easement granted to a private party or a road that provides access pursuant to a reserved or outstanding right.

Public Road.  A road under the jurisdiction of and maintained by a public road authority and open to public travel (23 U.S.C. 101(a)).

Qualified Engineer.  An engineer who by experience, certification, education, or license is technically trained and experienced to perform the engineering tasks specified and who is designated by the Regional Office Director of Engineering.

Road.  A motor vehicle route over 50 inches wide, unless identified and managed as a trail (36 CFR 212.1).  

Road Construction or Reconstruction.  Supervising, inspecting, actual building, and incurrence of all costs incidental to the construction or reconstruction of a road (36 CFR 212.1).

Road Decommissioning.  Activities that result in restoration of unneeded roads to a more natural state (FSM 7734).

Road Maintenance.  Ongoing upkeep of a road necessary to maintain or restore the road in accordance with its road management objectives (FSM 7714).

Road Subject to the Highway Safety Act.  An NFS road that is open to public use in a standard passenger car, including a road with access restricted on a seasonal basis and a road closed during extreme weather conditions or for emergencies, but which is otherwise open to public travel.

Route.  A road or trail.

Temporary Road or Trail.  A road or trail necessary for emergency operations or authorized by contract, permit, lease, or other written authorization that is not a forest road or a forest trail and that is not included in a forest transportation atlas (36 CFR 212.1).

Terminal Facility.  A transfer point between the forest transportation system and forest resources served by the system, or between different transportation modes, including parking areas, turnouts, boat ramps and docks, trailheads, marine access facilities, airfields, and heliports.

Trail.  A route 50 inches or less in width or a route over 50 inches wide that is identified and managed as a trail (36 CFR 212.1).

Travel Management Atlas.  An atlas that consists of a forest transportation atlas and an MVUM or MVUMs (36 CFR 212.1).

Unauthorized Road or Trail.  A road or trail that is not a forest road or trail or a temporary road or trail and that is not included in a forest transportation atlas (36 CFR 212.1).

7734.1 – Decommissioning Treatments

Decommission a road by reestablishing vegetation and, if necessary, initiating restoration of ecological processes interrupted or adversely impacted by the unneeded road.  Decommissioning includes applying various treatments, including one or more of the following:

1. Reestablishing former drainage patterns, stabilizing slopes, and restoring vegetation;
2. Blocking the entrance to a road or installing water bars;
3. Removing culverts, reestablishing drainages, removing unstable fills, pulling back road shoulders, and scattering slash on the roadbed;
4. Completely eliminating the roadbed by restoring natural contours and slopes; and
5. Other methods designed to meet the specific conditions associated with the unneeded road.