Forest Transportation System

In conjunction with the final rule published elsewhere in this part of today’s Federal Register, the Forest Service is adopting a final policy governing the national forest transportation system. This action is necessary to ensure that National Forest System roads provide for public uses of National Forest System lands; provide for safe public access and travel; allow for economical and efficient management; to the extent practicable, begin to reverse adverse ecological impacts associated with roads; and meet all other current and future land and resource management objectives. The intended effects of this final policy are to ensure that decisions to construct, reconstruct, or decommission roads will be better informed by using a science-based roads analysis; that the availability of road maintenance funding will be considered when assessing the need for new road construction; and that, instead of focusing on constructing new roads, emphasis will be given to reconstructing and maintaining classified roads while decommissioning unnecessary classified and unclassified roads. The direction is being issued as amendments to Forest Service Manual Title 7700—Engineering, in Chapter 7700—Zero Code and in Chapter 7710—Transportation Atlas, Records, and Analysis.