Watch the woods

April marks the opening of all-terrain-vehicle season in Ohio's forests, and as enthusiasts begin planning trips and loading up their gear, state and federal forest managers should consider how far to go in expanding this activity.

ATV riding is extremely popular in the Wayne National Forest in southeastern Ohio and in four stateforests, and demand is high for more trails. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources plans to add to its 40 miles of motorized-vehicle trails. In the Wayne, the National Forest Service has expanded the ATV-trail system to 121 miles in recent years, and just announced that it will allow a popular new ATV model on it.

With a 50-inch wheelbase, the Polaris RZR is slightly wider than standard ATVs and barely fits on the Forest Service's 50-inch trails.

The desire of ODNR and National Forest Service officials to serve the ATV-riding public is understandable, but that shouldn't come at the expense of all who want to enjoy the forest's beauty in serenity.

Accommodating ATV riders shouldn't be allowed to degrade the tiny percentage of Ohio's land that is set aside for the public.

ATVs have an abysmal record in Ohio's public forests. Although permits are required and rules say riders must stay on trails, observe safety rules and avoid damage to the land, riders routinely go off-trail, ripping up hillsides and hastening erosion. They blast through creeks, fouling the water. Loud ATV engines scare off wildlife and disturb hikers and birders.

ATV riders also have a history of ignoring private-property signs and riding onto adjoining private forests, continuing the damage there.

State and federal authorities can't afford nearly the number of enforcement officers it would take to effectively patrol the trails.

Many riders are law-abiding, but the bad actors have done harm that might be irreparable. The National Forest Service has declared ATV riding and other unmanaged recreation one of the four primary threats to the health of national forests, along with invasive species, development and disruption of the natural fire cycle.

The decision to allow wider ATVs in the Wayne is troubling. The Forest Service, noting the tight squeeze of the RZR, urged riders to slow down before attempting to cross narrow trail bridges. But many riders will skip the bridge and plow right through creeks or ravines.

People opposed to more ATVs in Ohio forests have suggested a sensible alternative: use trails on land formerly strip-mined.

Those rugged landscapes, usually unsuitable for replanting trees because the soil has been compacted by heavy mining equipment, could provide thrills for ATV riders without spoiling a tranquil forest.

Source: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2009/04/03/ATV.ART_ART_04-03-09_A6_C1DE5QS.html

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