July 28, 2006. WildLaw releases its report,
Unclassified OHV Routes in the Apalachicola and Ocala
National Forests. The study highlights the alarming
damage to Florida’s National Forests as a result of
unrestricted and unmanaged off-highway vehicle, or OHV,
recreational use of these protected lands.
The National Forests of Florida have been significantly
damaged by unmanaged OHV use. In the Apalachicola
National Forest, a total of about 580 miles of
unauthorized roads were mapped over the Forest’s
384,000 acres. Of the 120,000 acres of the Ocala
National Forest, over 1,160 miles of unauthorized
routes were documented.
Over the past decade, the fastest growing use on the
National Forests in Florida has been motorized OHV
recreation, which includes all-terrain vehicles (ATVs),
off-highway motorcycles (OHMs), and 4-by-4 vehicles.
Because of the increase in OHV use throughout the
country and because OHVs can cause significant damage
if not managed carefully, regulation of OHV use has
become a priority for the U.S. Forest Service.
As with other activities on National Forest System
lands, OHV recreation warrants management so that it is
a sustainable use of the National Forests in Florida,
in order to protect the public lands, their wildlife,
their users and the interests of generations yet to
come. As it exists today, the uncontrolled OHV use on
the National Forests in Florida cannot be sustained, as
it has already compromised the Forest Service’s ability
to fulfill the purposes for which the Forests were
established, including watershed and wildlife purposes.
The report is the culmination of a project that is
intended to assist the Forest Service with finding
solutions for OHV management on the National Forests in
Florida. The research and report were made possible
through financial support by the National Forest
Foundation, through a Centennial Year Challenge project
award.
Copies of the report in PDF format are available by
following these links:
Unclassified OHV Routes (7.29 MB)
Unclassified OHV Routes (map images are slightly
blurry) (5.44 MB)
A limited number of hard copies are available by
request. Contact
Brett Paben in our Florida Office if you
would like a copy mailed to you.
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