Rethinking Routes and Roads on a National Forest

• Author: Environmental Law Institute
• Pages: 21-22

NEPA SUCCESS STORIES 21

is case illustrates that a exible NEPA process can

facilitate agency decisions involving both potential

signicant impacts and intense debate and disagree-

ment among diverse stakeholders.

e capability of o-road vehicles (ORVs) to travel

on any terrain and mushrooming ORV use have

led to intense debate as to what, where, and how

much ORV use is appropriate and sustainable on

public lands. In light of potential conicts (a)be-

tween motorized and non-motorized recreationists;

(b)varying impacts on sh and wildlife; (c)concerns

about generation of dust, noise, and invasive species;

and (d)varying visions of stakeholders as to what

would constitute a desirable economic future, no

one federal agency can feasibly make ORV decisions

without consulting its stakeholders. In November

2005, the U.S. Forest Service (FS) published a travel

planning rule, requiring each national forest to des-

ignate what routes and roads would be open to what

types of vehicles.

Southern Utah is one of several areas in the nation in

which ORV use of public lands is particularly con-

tentious. As the FS had moved away from its former

policy of allowing ORVs to drive cross-country in

the forests, the question arose as to what to do with

routes that were not ocially recognized by the FS

during the years when cross-country driving was

allowed. ese so-called “unauthorized” routes plus

“authorized” ORV routes, dirt bike routes, roads,

and non-motorized trails have proliferated along

with the growth of the o-road motorized industry.

In 2004, FS managers of the 1.9 million acre Dixie

National Forest (Dixie NF) in south central and

southwestern Utah began asking the public and

cooperating agencies, including the County Com-

mission and State of Utah, to review the Dixie NF’s

inventory of roads and routes.

In December 2006, the FS began its formal NEPA

process with a scoping period and published a draft

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in May

2008. Early in the NEPA process, the FS sought

public input on the review of the Dixie NF inven-

tory of roads and routes and sought to provide to the

public useful information gathered during the inven-

tory. For example, the FS used interactive website

maps that allowed a computer user to click on any

route in the Forest and obtain a detailed descrip-

tion of the conditions of that route. By using this

interactive website, a user could access data as to the

number of times a route crosses a stream, its proxim-

ity to sensitive wildlife, its potential for erosion, and

current uses.

In order to receive public input, the FS held numer-

ous sessions with members of the public, govern-

ment representatives, commercial and inholder users,

and others. At these sessions, maps were presented

and sta were available for consultation to gather

suggestions about retaining or closing specic routes.

Candor at all public meetings was emphasized; plans

to close numerous routes, protect wildlife and sensi-

tive and roadless areas, and close even more routes

post-decision if abuse occurred on open routes were

discussed.

e FS extended consideration of scoping comments

by a year before issuing a draft EIS in order to have

in-depth conversations with commenters who had

oered substantive comments, including proposals

for individual routes.

In April 2009, the FS issued the nal EIS. e

Record of Decision required the closing of 48% of

the current 5,200 miles of forest roads and routes,

leaving 2,700 miles of motorized system routes open

for public use. In addition, 73% of unauthorized

routes would be closed, as well as 27% of roads and

routes that had formerly been classied as forest

system routes.

e FS utilized several features of NEPA to reach

a decision that has been broadly accepted by those

RETHINK ING ROUTES AND ROADS ON A NATIONAL FORE ST

A MODEL NEPA PROCESS AMID INTENSE DEBATE