Roadless Area Conservation


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Public Comment: Attention Roadless ANPR Comments

DATES:
Comments received in writing must be post-marked by September 10, 2001 - 60 days from the publication date of July 10, 2001. The post-mark date is the basis of the cutoff date, and not the date of receipt. All emails and faxes must also be dated on or before September 10.

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USDA-Forest Service - CAT Attention: Roadless ANPR Comments P.O. Box 221090 Salt Lake City, Utah, 84122 E-mail: roadless_anpr@fs.fed.us Attention: Roadless ANPR Comments Please accept these comments on the Roadless Area Conservation, consider them in your deliberations, and include them in the Record. The only acceptable and truly viable alternatives are to leave management decisions to be made in the Forest Plans. That is where they should be made. No data is presented to support the assertion that the existing road system is having a significant negative affect on the environment or to quantify that impact. Neither have they considered alternatives, such as doing the maintenance job and constructing roads to minimize the need for maintenance. Many of those roads are gated, used only to support periodic management activities; many need little maintenance because of good drainage and stable surfaces. This infrastructure was designed to facilitate management, protection and access by the American public. It is needed, sound and, for the most part, a valuable asset for the national forests. There is a big void in discussions about roadless areas, particularly on National Forests. Discussions have centered on whether or not areas should be roaded or logged. Nothing has been said about water quantity. In the West, water is probably more important than roads, timber, or wilderness. The quantity of water delivered at the Forest boundary can be increased by silvicultural practices. As an example, if forested areas on the Caribou National Forest were treated to increase water production in accordance with the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station "Dead Horse Experiment," the total inherent yield from the Forest of 658,378 acre feet could be increased to about 790,000 acre feet. That is a lot of water. National Forest lands that should be treated to increase water production are areas receiving high snow fall. These are generally the same areas currently designated as roadless. The treatment would require some roading and some tree removal. This would reduce the roadless or wilderness value. Setting the areas aside as roadless or wilderness would preclude treatment to increase water production in the future. Sincerely,

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