Outdoor Alliance Defends Travel Management Planning

The Forest Service’s travel management process is crucial to how we experience our national forests. Though not perfect, this process creates common-sense access for both human powered and motorized users, by designating different kinds of routes, trails and areas. As these decisions are made, the whole range of users, local governments and others are all given ample opportunities to weigh in. 

The recently introduced Forest Access in Rural Communities Act (HR 4272) would jeopardize travel management planning. It would negate the significant effort and resources communities and agencies have put into existing plans, and impede planning processes currently underway. 

Managing our national forests requires a careful balance between all sorts of users and interests, from both nearby and far away. Stopping the implementation or enforcement of travel management planning would make it much more difficult to strike this balance - to the detriment the environment, local communities, and all of us that enjoy access for outdoor recreation. 

You can read more about HR 4272 and the Travel Management Rule here.