Lincoln National Forest Land Management Plan Revision and Environmental Impact Statement
Transportation and Access
What we heard from the public
We strongly support a thoughtful, strategic approach to improving public access to the forest, restoring water quality and aquatic habitats by addressing the negative impacts of roads, and reconnecting wildlife habitat as a way to improve forest resiliency.
More maintained dirt roads leading to good dispersed camping opportunities for large self-contained RVs.
More motorized trails.
Ban new roads!
Best available science shows that roads cause significant adverse impacts to National Forest resources.
Remove unneeded roads to improve connectivity.
Recommends adding objectives with specific numerical goals for rehabilitation/restoration of decommissioned or unauthorized roads and routes, trails, etc.
Casey Jacobs Camp around the 1930s or 1940s
Mexican Canyon Trestle in fall
Draft EIS Alternatives
Alternative A does not includes objectives to decommission administratively closed roads. The Forest has a target to maintain 100 miles level 2-3 roads per year.
Alternative B includes objectives to decommission 75 miles of administratively closed roads over 15 years and maintain 100 miles of level 3 passenger car roads and 60 miles of level 2 high-clearance roads per year. Alternative B would limit resource damage by including a guideline for roads constructed for projects (timber extraction, development, mineral development, and others) to be closed to public access and rehabilitated once the project is complete, unless required for operation or maintenance.
Alternative C emphasizes passive vegetation management, recommends more wilderness, and de-emphasizes commercial use of timber, forest products, and motorized access to the Lincoln National Forest.
Similar to Alternative B, Alternative D would follow the travel analysis process for decommissioning administratively closed roads, but it would prioritize decommissioning roads that affect riparian areas or hinder habitat connectivity.
Alternative E focuses on providing more accessible recreation opportunities. It would do this by maintaining access roads to developed recreation sites at maintenance level 3 or higher and prioritizing land acquisitions that improve recreational access. Alternative E would consider access before decommissioning roads.
Decisions related to the road system are outside the scope of forest plan revision under the 2012 Planning Rule. Decisions pertaining to motorized uses on the Forest are made through a separate NEPA analysis, in accordance with the Travel Management Rule (36 CFR 212).
Draft Land Management Components
Roads Desired Conditions
A safe transportation system and infrastructure accommodates needs for public access, land and resource management, and permitted activities while contributing to social and economic sustainability along with cultural and provisioning ecosystem services.
National Forest System roads and bridges provide safe, legal, and reasonable access for a wide variety of uses.
National Forest System roads are well-marked and provide for traveler safety and information.
The transportation system provides a variety of recreation opportunities with varying degrees of difficulty, from dirt roads to paved scenic byways, while limiting resource and use conflicts.
National Forest System and non-system routes do not cause adverse impacts to environmental resources (such as watercourses or sensitive riparian areas) or cultural resources.
Use of National Forest System roads does not hinder wildlife movement or interrupt critical life cycle needs (for example, calving, nesting, and mating).
Impacts to ecological resources (such as watersheds, wildlife, and soils) are reduced and habitat connectivity improved though the decommissioning of unauthorized routes.
Numerous paved and unpaved roads wind through the Lincoln National Forest
A dirt road on the Sacramento Ranger District on the Lincoln National Forest
Roads Objectives
Maintain 100 miles of maintenance level 3 passenger car roads and 60 miles of maintenance level 2 high clearance roads yearly for the life of the plan.
Decommission 75 miles of road within 15 years.
Roads Standards
Motor vehicle use by the public is only authorized where designated by the motor vehicle use map (except where motor vehicle use is authorized by law, permit, valid right, or order).
New motorized routes must not be constructed in areas where the desired recreation opportunity spectrum is designated as primitive (ex. Wilderness Areas)
Roads Guidelines
Road construction and maintenance should incorporate best management practices (such as Soil and Water Conservation Practices in FSH 2509.22).
Bridges and transportation infrastructure, such as culverts that serve as important habitat for at-risk wildlife, should not be demolished unless demolition is necessary for safety along the travel route.
New roads should be designed and constructed to minimize the delivery of sediment and pollutants to waterbodies.
Road management objectives and functional classification should not be changed if significant resources (for example, cultural resources, sacred sites, and species of conservation concern) may be adversely affected.
When a practical alternative does not exist, the footprint of new roads constructed in riparian management zones should be designed to mitigate or eliminate resource damage to ecological resources. Stream crossings and the footprint of new roads constructed should avoid impacts to ecological resources.
Project-level decommissioning of roads should follow recommendations in the current Travel Analysis Plan.
After management activities occur in areas with high potential for unauthorized motorized vehicle use, methods should be used to prevent unauthorized motor vehicle use (such as barriers, signs, and law enforcement).
Reconstruction and rehabilitation of existing roads should be emphasized over new road construction.
Temporary administrative roads that support ecosystem restoration activities, fuels management, or other short-term projects should be decommissioned to more natural vegetation conditions upon project completion to protect watershed condition, prevent wildlife disturbance, and prevent illegal motorized use.
Construction of new roads and trails or reconstruction and maintenance of existing roads intersecting fish-bearing streams should accommodate aquatic organism passage.
Road maintenance activities should avoid or minimize noise and habitat disturbance where at-risk species are present, depending on species needs (for example, seasonal scheduling).
To encourage natural channel morphology on perennial and intermittent streams, new or redesigned stream crossings (bridges and culverts) should be wide enough to successfully pass water, sediment, wood, and aquatic organisms.
Next Station: Recommended Wilderness
For more information on the project or to be added to the mailing list, please contact Diane Prather at (575-649-9405) or diane.prather@usda.gov.