Dittos. Funride, what's the point of this "informal poll"? You promised us an answer over a week ago and haven't told us what's up.

 

Id guess there is no point...

 

I wanted to give it some more time and answers kept trickling in, so I let it ride.

No drum-roll required....Just looking at what actual riders think about cutting and how it relates to their riding experience in National Forest. For example, if horseback riders said, absolutely not, we don't want to spend our precious riding time in and around clear cuts, you'd have to heavily consider that opinion when making decisions on rerouted or new trail builds. On the other hand, if ATV riders generally said the cuts have no relationship to the quality of their riding time, then that helps the planning process. Does this mean that certain ATV trails are going to be routed through clear-cut areas only, and the horse crowd gets the cut free trails.....absolutely not. It's also about forest cutting and how it impacts your trails. Where cuts are allowed and how close they can get to existing trails is part of the equation. So there are two sides to the question.

A person would have to consider that clear cut trails would also grow in in a couple of years and just be nice looking, wildlife rich areas. Personally, I'd take the clear-cut areas for the future fields and vistas.

Different groups feel differently about how the forest is used (to say the least). National Forests are being viewed and looked at closely for recreation, which effects a lot of people on this site. Rec is a major component of the Forests in all states. Most National Forests have similar issues and concerns about uses. The problem is trying to balance the needs of all parties.

Additionally, and I've said this before: Your organized and well thought out letters to various Forest Supervisors are needed for plan reviews and requests for comments (at the appropriate time). So often the ATV groups are ill-funded, organized and generally not represented well enough. Uncle Pete with a missing front tooth and a lisp shouldn't be the front man for team efforts in these situations. Contrast to the snowmobile crowd which is highly organized, funded and represented. My only advice is to be reasonable, keep politics out of it, and have well written constructed reasons for your opinions and ideas.

Thanks for the replies. BTW: This pertains to Six Rivers Forest in N. California. Your answers will not definitively sway any decisions one way or another, but they will help.

 

Interesting... But I got bored somewhere after drum-roll... I perked up at your ref to ATV riders and Uncle Pete... and snowmobile riders being “highly organized, funded and represented”. I think that is a stereotypical view of ATV riders in general, and one that annoys me to know end. I am not sure what your position might be that could have any influence to decisions made to Six Rivers (or anywhere else for that matter), but if our responses "will not definitively sway any decisions one way or another" why bother asking in the first place. But then again this was an informal poll...

In the end I think overall the answer was about the same.. We beer can totin’, pot belly lookin’, one front tooth smilin’, big rusty truck drivin’, broke, grubby nail bitin’ rednecks on er’ ATV’s ain’t carrin’ where we ride… Oh and ol uncle Pete.. He just farted and we are still laughin’ cuz that’s funny…

 

Question should be, if it has any hope of improving the riding conditions for people in Six Rivers, why not ask or respond.

Where did you get the idea that your response here would have a direct impact. And because your answer doesn't impact something directly, it's of no use. Do you know what a "poll" is and what they're used for? Glad to see that you feel there's enough ATV support out there to determine this is a waste of people's time.

 

On second thought why not ask the question in the first place.. We are all here to share our riding stories.. This was just another thread that brought out ideas of our riding preferences.... I hope the best for the trails at Six Rivers and hope you can use something in our comments for the better of our sport. With that said though.... Uncle Pete needs another beer.. so I better fetch him one.

 

I'd like to fetch myself another one, but it's nearly 1am and I gotta work in the AM.

 

Like I said earlier.....Nothing earth shattering. Sorry to keep people wondering.

 

I do not doubt there is benefit to the forest when it is cleared and managed properly. I can see where clearcutting would pose an environmental hazard as well if the area is subjected to rains, or riding pressures. So I suspect the biggest impact to riding is the wait until the area is able to support the activities. The problem I see is your typical logging operation will leave a mess. You get a rider who is not all that concerned about the environmental impact his riding will have, and you have the potential of doing a lot of damage that only makes us all look bad. I have been there and done that. I am wizer now. I have lived through the elimination of 3 wheelers, and I know that it could happen again if we don't control ourselves.

The right thing to do is for riders to find ways to assist in returning the area to ridable conditions.