Off road vehicle riders say the Shasta-Trinity National Forest is trying to keep them off the roads. Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) riders say the Forest Service is going down the wrong path when it comes to off-road use in the 2.1 million acre forest.

Before a Forest Service presentation in front of Shasta County Supervisors, OHV riders said the Forest Service draft report puts up a roadblock to access some of their favorite roads and closes some of those roads altogether.

The Forest Service classifies roads by management level: M-l one is closed.
M-l two is suitable for high clearance, such as four-wheel drive vehicles. M-l three is a single lane gravel road, usuable by two-wheel drive vehicles. M-l four is a two-lane gravel road.

Forest Supervisor Sharon Heywood says there are a couple of concerns: off-road riders tearing up environmentally sensitive land, and using level three roads, mixing OHV's and full-sized vehicles or logging trucks.

They say keeping OHV riders off level three roads keeps them from getting to their favorite trails. Heywood says she is still taking public comment on the draft statement, and she will make a final decision in late January or early February.