Cycle News

Cycle News 2014 Issue 20 May 20

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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IN THE WIND P26 cy maps) single-track trails being excluded from the designation process. Many Forests restricted their travel planning process to main- tenance level 2 system roads that allowed use by non-street legal OHVs or maintenance level 1 roads that were managed as motorized trails. Historic and legal motorized single-track opportunities such as enduro trails, old pack-mule/min- ing or pioneer trails were simply eliminated from consideration due to time constraints. For example, in 2010 the Six Rivers National Forest issued a Record of Decision for travel management on the Mad River and Lower Trinity Ranger Dis- tricts. Of the 80+ miles of his- toric single-track trails identified by the BlueRibbon Coalition and local OHV enthusiasts during the planning process, the Forest only designated five miles as single- track motorcycle trails. During those early planning efforts, agency representatives promised the OHV community that once these initial "founda- tional" route networks were es- tablished and codified that they would work with the users to ei- ther bring some of these historic single-track opportunities "back onto the system" or construct new engineered single-track sys- tem trails. Another factor that has con- tributed to the significant loss of single-track motorcycle trails is the conversion of said routes by illegal ATV use. By definition, a trail is a route 50 inches or less in width (used by ATVs, motor- cycles, or narrow side-by-sides) or a route over 50 inches wide that is identified and managed as a trail (36 CFR 212.1) for larger OHVs such as jeep-type vehicles and full-size side-by-sides. Mo- torcycle-only single-track trails are generally 24 inches or less in width. ATVs are not allowed on motorcycle-only trails. Also, many of the "road- based" single-track trails that have evolved over time to provide a high-quality single-track expe- rience are often obliterated by bulldozers during the initial attack on a wildfire or by reconstruction of the road to extract resources. That single-track experience can be lost for several generations. Agency commitment to post TMR project level trail planning varies greatly from region to re- gion, forest to forest, and ranger district to ranger district. It is my experience that commitment is largely based on unit culture and personnel. Replacement of lost single- track experience on a unit should be part of the discussion be- tween agency staff and affected stakeholders. Retention of sin- gle- track dirt-bike trails is no dif- ferent than keeping single-track hiking, equestrian, and moun- tain-bike trails. New single-track construc- tion vehicles - such as the Single Track ST240 - appear to be a cost-effective way to reconstruct existing road-based single-trail trails or to construct new trails. In fact, some forests are already us- ing it on single-track trail projects. Work-type motorcycles such as the Rokon can be used to fer- ry in trail supplies such as rock, tread blocks, and power tools for volunteer work parties. Concepts such as the construction of new "companion-trails" along exist- ing road-based ATV and 4WD trails to separate vehicle types for safety and an enhanced trail ex- perience should be embraced by the agency and trail groups. I un- derstand the Six Rivers National Forest is evaluating that very con- cept along Route 1. Again, some of these ideas are already being considered and planned for on Forests with an OHV or trail-based recreation background. The challenge will be for trail enthusiasts to engage with Forest Service staff on units where a substantive trail-based recreation program has never been established. The cost of the specialized trail equipment could make it hard for a forest with a new trail program to justify purchasing a trail trac- tor or other piece of specialized equipment. The regional office might have a role in coordinating existing trail specialists to help units enhance new trail oppor- tunities or bolster the trail work force on other Forests so that routes can be worked during op- timum soil moisture conditions. continued on page 28

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