{"id":3626,"date":"2026-08-31T22:40:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T02:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3626"},"modified":"2026-08-31T22:40:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T02:40:46","slug":"recreation-conservation-groups-unite-against-forest-service-travel-rule-rollback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3626","title":{"rendered":"Recreation, Conservation Groups Unite Against Forest Service Travel Rule Rollback"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently launched a process to significantly revise its Travel Management Rule<\/a>, which guides where motorized vehicles are and are not allowed on almost 200 million acres of national forests and grasslands.<\/p>\n

The USDA is proposing to flip the U.S. Forest Service\u2019s longstanding approach to travel management on its head, forcing local forests to allow motorized vehicles everywhere except for places that are specifically closed. The current rule requires motorized vehicles to stay on a designated system of roads, trails and areas in national forests and grasslands and is an essential policy for wildlife conservation, balanced recreation, and public safety.<\/p>\n

This comes directly on the heels of the USDA\u2019s proposed repeal of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule<\/a>, which would make 45 million acres of remote backcountry forests available for clearcut logging, road-building and other development, unleashing back-to-back blows to our national forests. Combined, these actions are part of the administration\u2019s systematic dismantling of the rules and safeguards that keep national forests safe, accessible, and managed for everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is yet another egregious attack in the systematic dismantling of public lands management of our national forests,\u201d said Dan Hartinger, senior director for agency policy at The Wilderness Society<\/strong>. \u201cTravel management provides the basic guardrails that let hikers, hunters, anglers, and riders share the same forest without chaos; removing those guardrails threatens the freedom of all public lands users to safely enjoy our national forests the way they choose. Paired with the proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule, this destructive agenda sells out future generations\u2019 enjoyment of our forests in order to hand them over for corporate profits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Travel Management Rule creates a framework that balances uses on national forest lands. It draws on local decision-making processes to support all user groups in enjoying public lands while also protecting these places for future generations,\u201d said Anneka Williams, policy director at Winter Wildlands Alliance. <\/strong>\u201cRemoving this framework for shared use threatens diverse user experiences on public lands. Coming on the heels of the proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule, it is clear that this announcement is part of the administration\u2019s broader agenda to dismantle our public lands as we know and love them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Travel Management Rule is why dirtbikers and snowmobilers can share national forests with hikers and backcountry skiers without conflict. It\u2019s built on local decision-making that ensures no user group gets steamrolled and all our national forest values are protected,\u201d said Hilary Eisen, federal policy director at Wild Montana.<\/strong> \u201cJust days after doubling down on repealing the Roadless Rule, this announcement makes the administration\u2019s plan obvious: gut the rules requiring the Forest Service to manage our natural resources carefully and listen to the public, then open the gates to industry and extraction. The Roadless rescission already showed that Forest Service leadership doesn\u2019t value public input, science, or expert management. They\u2019ve lost the public\u2019s trust, and should expect the public to hold them accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe USDA\u2019s announcement to gut the Travel Management Rule and the Roadless Rule in the same week is a one-two punch that together deals a tremendous blow to wildlife,\u201d said Vera Smith, director of national forests and public lands at Defenders of Wildlife<\/strong>. \u201cThe Travel Management Rule states simply that motorized vehicles must stay on routes and areas designated locally for that use. The Forest Service issued the rule over 20 years ago to curb damage from unmanaged recreation, reduce user conflict and protect public safety. Rescinding it now is irresponsible and reckless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust after this administration moved to eliminate protections for Roadless Areas, it is now <\/strong>proposing to gut the Travel Management Rule that for 20 years has ensured the Forest Service manages motorized recreation in a manner that minimizes damage, protects other visitors, and responds when vehicle use is harming public land resources,\u201d said Adam Rissien rewilding manager at WildEarth Guardians.<\/strong> \u201cEliminating those protections will not improve access. It would replace locally developed plans with uncertainty, conflict, and unmanaged use.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust days after its proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule, the administration is now attempting to open up our national forests to more off-road vehicle use that will degrade the landscape and disturb wildlife and other land users,\u201d said Thomas Delehanty, senior attorney with Earthjustice\u2019s Rocky Mountain Office<\/strong>. \u201cSome places in our national forests are meant for quiet, undisturbed recreation and protecting sensitive wildlife, including endangered species. This rule would open all roads and trails to ORVs by default, meaning areas set aside for hiking, hunting, or horseback riding could soon be fair game to four-wheelers and dirt bikes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Trump Administration\u2019s proposal to fundamentally alter the Travel Management Rule will change for the worse how Utahns experience national forests throughout the state, from the Wasatch Front to redrock country outside Escalante and Moab,\u201d said Laura Peterson, senior attorney at Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA)<\/strong>. \u201cThe proposal will place a heavy thumb on the scale to prioritize off-road vehicle use at the expense of all other uses of the national forests, including the protection of wildlife, cultural sites, streams and wild places. This move will not improve access to public lands, but it will make the experience of recreating on public lands worse for all users, including hikers, bikers, hunters, anglers and riders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor over two decades the Travel Management Rule has ensured our National Forests are managed to host an array of user groups, while safeguarding the health and future of our public lands,\u201d said Peggie dePasquale, National Forest Wildlands Director at the Wyoming Wilderness Association (WWA).<\/strong> \u201cWe are now witnessing a troublesome undoing of this effective management tool that the American people, especially here in Wyoming, have come to rely on for sustainable and relied upon access. It is critical that we raise our voices to send a clear message that the proposed revision goes against public interest and is bad news for the future of our natural world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe existing travel management planning process allows the public to meaningfully weigh in on where vehicles do and don\u2019t belong in our national forests. Repealing this rule hands that decision to political appointees in Washington, who have decided that every road, trail, and meadow should be open to motorized use, no matter the conflicts with other users or wildlife,\u201d said Center for Western Priorities (CWP) Communications Director Kate Groetzinger.<\/strong> \u201cRepealing this rule is also a recipe for more wildfire in a region that cannot afford it. Putting hot engines deeper into dry forests during longer and hotter fire seasons will increase wildfire risk, and Western communities will pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Travel management is supported by a diverse group of public lands users.
<\/strong>This proposal to revise the Travel Management Rule is out of touch with everyday Americans who use our forested public lands. Motorized groups, recreationalists, sportsmen, conservation organizations, local communities and other public land users nationwide have spoken out in opposition:<\/p>\n