About
ACHP 
ACHP News
National Historic
Preservation
Program
Working with
Section 106
Federal, State, & Tribal Programs
Training & Education
Publications
Search
Home
Working with Section 106 ACHP
Case Digest Spring
2005 Nationwide: Management of
Off-Highway Vehicles in National ForestsNationwide: Management of Off-Highway Vehicles in National Forests
Agency: U.S. Forest Service
Unmanaged recreation, including the use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs), has been identified as one of the major threats to the National Forests. Some forest users, without permission or supervision by the U.S. Forest Service, have created their own roads and trails for their vehicles. In addition to harming natural resources, many of these illegal cut-throughs have damaged archeological sites, Traditional Cultural Properties, and sites sacred to Indian tribes. To improve the management of forest cultural resources and historic properties, the ACHP approved a national policy that incorporates the Section 106 review process and heritage preservation concerns into National Forests decisions to designate or close OHV routes. |
|
|
The ACHP has approved a national policy that incorporates Section 106 and heritage preservation concerns into Forest Service policy development for the designation and/or closure of roads and trails on National Forest System land for use by off-highway vehicles (OHVs).
Unmanaged recreation, including the use of OHVs, has been identified as one of the major threats to the National Forests. Users without Forest Service permission or supervision have created many of the current OHV roads and trails. Many of these roads and trails have caused erosion and damage to a wide range of natural resources. In addition, numerous illegal roads and trails cut through archeological sites, Traditional Cultural Properties, and sacred sites.
The OHV policy, which was endorsed by the ACHP members in February 2005, is an effort to improve the management of the full range of forest resources, including cultural resources and historic properties.
The OHV policy outlines a process for each National Forest that includes consulting with State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs), tribes, and other stakeholders to identify historic properties and the effect of the designation or closure on them.
The policy provides a minimum requirement for completing the Section 106 review process for the designation or closure of OHV roads and trails. National Forests are allowed to develop their own process for compliance as long as it meets the minimum standard.
In addition, the policy provides national direction to the individual National Forests without the use of a traditional national Programmatic Agreement (PA), and it instructs National Forests to use their existing PA and other agreements with SHPOs and tribes to complete the Section 106 review process.
The Forest Service has found that the development of national policy for particular programs, and the crafting of instructions for the National Forests, is an efficient approach to cultural resource management and Section 106. It plans to use this OHV policy as a model for other projects with the ACHP.
Staff contact: Steve Del Sordo
Posted June 9, 2005