Study says ATVs damaging forests 

Rebecca McCarthy - Staff 
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 

Tuesday, January 15, 2002 

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/tuesday/metro_c3345d0fe123e
15a1010.html 

Ineffective gate closings, eroded stream beds and footpaths crisscrossed by
rutted, makeshift trails are only a few of the problems created by
all-terrain vehicles in Georgia's national forests, according to the
nonprofit Georgia Forestwatch. 

A report released Monday by the agency, whose mission is to "protect and
restore Georgia's public lands," both documents and discovers the damage
wrought by ATVs on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests. U.S. Forest
Service officials estimate that the forests' 865,000 acres have more than
550 miles of illegal trails, with a rehabilitation price tag of $1 million. 

"What they found about the number of illegal trails and the cost to rehab,
close and revegetate them mirrors our own figures," said Larry Luckett,
recreation staff officer for the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests. "It
will be an invaluable tool as we pursue closing these illegal trails over
the next few years." 

In the national forest, there are 131 legal miles of trail set aside for
ATVs in 15 different systems. The problem is that some ATV users don't stay
in the designated areas. 

A grant to Georgia Forestwatch from the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition
allowed a botanist to spend 12 weeks last fall surveying woods and waterways
in North Georgia. Of the 59 routes he surveyed in the Chattahoochee, he
found illegal ATV use on 67 percent, including designated wilderness, and
trails restricted to pedestrians. 

The botanist discovered telltale, wide-wheel ATV tracks leading into both
the Tray Mountain Wilderness and the Rich Mountain Wilderness, and onto
private lands. 

"It highlights just how big the problem is and how out of control is it,"
said Georgia Forestwatch Director Brent Martin. "The Forest Service is
woefully inadequate when it comes to law enforcement, and you've got to have
better enforcement to get a handle on things." 


The Forest Service has been working on a new ATV policy for the past several
months, but isn't anywhere close to finishing it, said Luckett. The issue
has generated more than 5,000 written comments from people who use the woods
for various forms of recreation, he said, and officials in Georgia want to
be consistent with other national forests. 


The report includes several recommendations: 

Seek federal funds to add more officers to the seven patrolling the
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests. In the short-term, ask the
Georgia Department of Natural Resources for enforcement help. 
Design better closings so ATVs can't go under gates, and identify
areas where enough trees can be felled so that ATVs can't pass around
them. 

Address the extreme damage to some areas, including power line rights of
way and legal ATV areas, and decide whether to end the use or repair the
damage. 

Hilary Wood 
Outreach & Communications Coordinator 
Wilderness Watch 
P.O. Box 9175 
Missoula, MT 59807 
Telephone: (406) 542-2048 
Fax: (406) 542-7714

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