Correspondence on Bonneville Unit of Central Utah Project

Page 22

From the analysis of the resource base and the information received from the public during this study, there appears to be a need for a type of land management falling somewhere between the extremes of wilderness or non-wilderness. To meet this need the Chief of the Forest Service has recently approved a Back-Country Management Policy. The Intent of designating areas of land as Back-Country are threefold: i. To provide National Forest areas which afford opportunities for high guaiity, near-primitive dispersed recreational opportunities away from public roads and most other developments, where the environment is relatively unmodified. 2. To offer a wider range of recreation experience than is permissible in WIIderness, and 3. To help relieve the recreation pressures threatening overuse of WiIderness. In Back-Country areas, scenery and natural landscapes are maintained and protected and wildlife values are maintained or enhanced. Unlike Wilder­ness, in Back-Country the natural ecological succession need not a I ways be encouraged; some manipulation is permissible. Following are some of the guidelines under which Back-Country areas would be managed: 1. Where compatible with recreation objectives, timber could be harvested to improve wiIdlife habitat, to salvage areas of blowdown or fire or insect damage, or to maintain favorable Forest conditions. 2. Simple comfort and convenience items such as shelters, water and san­itation facilities, and fireplaces may be provided as necessary to meet the needs of resource protection and user enjoyment. 3. Temporary roads may be built fo meet management needs. Such roads would generally be closed to public travel during the life of the benefitting project and would be physically closed when the project was completed. 4. Resource management activities such as water yield improvements, range management, and timber harvests would be limited to those which would not significantly detract from recreation objectives. / 5.\ Areas may be closed to ail or particular forms of motor vehicle use > depending on the management objectives for individual areas. 6. Land occupancy involving surface disturbance, such as power linos and pipelines, may be permitted only if there is no feasible alternative in the face of a clearly demonstrated need.