HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from USDA USDA
United States Department of Agriculture
Office of the Secretary
Washington, D.C.20250
BOARD OFSUPERVISORS
AUG 10:2010
OROVILLE,CALIFORNIA r
JUL 3 0 2010
The Honorable Bill Connelly
Chair
Butte County Board of Supervisors
Administration
25 County Center Drive
Oroville, California 95365
Dear Chairman Connelly:
Thank you for your letter of February 23, 2010, cosigned by your colleagues, regarding
implementation of the 2005 Travel Management Rule in the Pacific Southwest Region
(Region 5). l apologize for the delayed response.
The 2005 Travel Management Rule requires all National Forests and National Grasslands
to designate those National Forest System(NFS) roads,NFS trails, and areas on NFS
Iands that are open to motor vehicle use. Once those routes and areas have been
designated,they are displayed on a motor vehicle use map (MVUM). Motor vehicle use
that is inconsistent with the MVUM is prohibited.
Each NFS road is assigned an operational maintenance level (ML)that establishes the
level of service provided by, and maintenance required for,that road. By definition, ML
3 to 5 roads are suitable for use by passenger cars, and the higher the ML, the greater the
user comfort and convenience. The Forest Service manages these roads as public roads
and highways, and State traffic laws generally apply.
Region 5 has approximately 46,000 milies.of NFS roams. A large percentage of these .
routes (traversing approximately 33,000 miles) are ML 2 roads, which are suitable for use
by high-clearance vehicles. These roads are not managed as highways; do not require a
California driver's license for use by non-highway-legal vehicles, such as all-terrain
vehicles (ATV); and generally are open to non-highway-legal vehicle use.
ML 3 to 5 roads may be designated for use by non-highway-legal and highway-legal
vehicles (e.g., both ATVs and passenger cars), known as motorized mixed use. Public
safety is paramount when considering motorized mixed-use on ML 3 to 5 roads. This
decision is informed by an engineering analysis, which considers safety risk and the
probability and severity of accidents. As a result of this analysis, certain ML 3 to 5 roads
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The Honorable Bill Connelly
Page 2
may be designated for motorized mixed-use, and others may not. In addition, where
possible, Region 5 has striven to reduce the ML of roads to lower maintenance costs,
thereby enhancing access for non-highway-legal vehicles.
The Forest Service has worked with the California Highway Patrol to address questions
regarding implementation of the Travel Management Rule and the California Vehicle
Code. Region 5 is sharing the responses to these questions with the public and
administrative units in their region to facilitate designations of motor vehicle use.
We understand your desire for the Forest Service to revisit the travel management
planning for the Lassen, Plumas, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests to allow more
motorized mixed-use on ML 3 roads. I appreciate your interest in working with the
Forest Service to address the needs and interests expressed in your letter. The
Forest Service recognizes that for some administrative units, implementation of the
Travel Management Rule represents a significant change of management of motor
vehicle use. This change is necessary to strike a balance between protecting natural and
cultural resources and providing opportunities for public enjoyment of and access to NFS
lands for the present and future generations.
If you have further questions about travel management regarding the Lassen, Plumas and
Shasta-Trinity National Forests, please contact Ms. Kathy Mick, Region 5 Regional
Trails, and Travel Management Planning Lead, at(707) 562-8859.
Again, thank you for writing. A similar response is being sent to your colleagues.
Sin ere ,
Harris D. Sherman
Linder Secretary.
Natural Resources and Environment