Travel Management Planning

Thank you for visiting the Coconino National Forest's Travel Management Planning website.

Background

On November 2, 2005, the Forest Service announced final travel management regulations governing OHVs and other motor vehicle use on national forests and grasslands. Under the new rules, forests that do not restrict OHV travel to "designated roads-and-trails" must do so. And OHVs must remain on designated roads and trails systems while on the National Forest.

Currently, the Coconino National Forest does not have a forest-wide designated road or trail system; cross-country motorized travel is permitted except in areas that are signed closed or restricted to seasonal use. For example, a large area around Sedona restricts motorized travel to designated routes only.

Regulations in effect today on the Coconino National Forest are explained on the OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES page.

What is the Travel Management Rule?

The final travel management rule requires each National Forest System unit:

• Shall designate those roads, trails, and area open to motor vehicle use by vehicle class and, if appropriate, by time of year (36 CFR 212.51).
• Designated roads, trails, and areas shall be identified on a motor vehicle use map (MVUM) (36 CFR 212.56).
• Once the map is published, motor vehicle use inconsistent with designations is prohibited (36 CFR 261.13).
• Until designation is complete, current rules and authorities remain in place.  

Criteria for evaluating and designating routes (36 CFR 212.55) are largely derived from Executive Order 11644.

Why is Travel Management Planning Important?

Outdoor recreation is central to our work. The demand for recreation opportunities is growing. These opportunities connect people with the land and foster healthy lifestyles.

Motorized recreation is a legitimate use of our national forests. The rule provides a uniform set of guidelines for travel management decisions. This will result in consistent, high quality motorized recreation opportunities on designated roads, trails, and areas on national forests and grasslands.

Route designations will involve working with local communities. The final rule itself doesn’t open or close a single route. Those decisions will be made at the local level in a fair and open travel planning process that anyone can join. Working with local communities, interest groups and tribal governments over the next three years will result in a system of designated routes and areas tailored to local conditions and needs.

Together, we’ll sustain our natural resources.The rule addresses the growing demand for motorized recreation while protecting the environment and assuring that our national forests and grasslands provide clean air, clean water, and abundant wildlife for future generations.

Collaboration is Key

All visitors and neighbors of the Coconino National Forest will be invited and are encouraged to take part in helping to identify roads, areas, and trails to remain open to motorized use on the forest. If you would like to be involved in our travel management planning process or receive information about our progress, please contact us. We would also like to hear your ideas about how you would like to interact with our planning team, both now and over the course of the project.

Background

The number of OHV users in the Unites States has climbed tenfold in the past 32 years, from approximately 5 million in 1972 to 51 million in 2004. The Forest Service now manages more than 300,000 miles of road and 35,000 miles of trail for motor vehicle use. More than 11 million people using OHVs visited national forest and grasslands in 2004.

Timeline

The Coconino National Forest is committed to completing the designation process by September 2009.

General purpose and proposed timeline...

Documents

Our online document archive will contain important documents related to the travel management process as they are developed.

Public Participation/Contact Us

Get involved in travel management planning. Your participation is important. Please contact us.

News Release - September 29, 2006

Shape the Future of the Coconino National Forest

The Coconino National Forest is beginning two major planning efforts that will shape future management and enjoyment of this treasured land. Through these efforts the public will be able to share opinions about national forest management including outdoor recreation, wildlife management, fire protection and others. [Click Here]

Implementing the National Travel Management Rule

Got Questions?

This 41 page [pdf] slideshow will answer them.
Use your left and right arrows to navigate in Internet Explorer. To end, click your "Back" button

In Firefox, the slideshow advances every 10 seconds but you can navigate more quickly using your arrows. To quit, hit "Esc".