DNR Seeking Public Comment During Annual Review of State Forest Roads

Michigan boasts thousands of miles of state forest roads that are open for public use. Each year, these forest roads are inventoried by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forest Resources Division (FRD) and reviewed to ensure accuracy and proper management. Interested members of the public are encouraged to share their comments with the DNR FRD as they carry out this inventory and review of state forest roads.

According to acting FRD chief Jeff Stampfly in a DNR news release on November 4, 2020, the public comment period is a key component of a successful review process. “Public participation is important for this decision-making process to protect natural resources while ensuring as much recreational access as possible,” said Stampfly.

While improving the accuracy of the state forest road map system is the main goal of this review period, additional changes to forest road maps include adding previously unmapped roads to the system, removing duplicates from the system, deleting roads that no longer exist, and closing and opening select roads to ORVs and conventional vehicles.

All proposed changes can be viewed online at michigan.gov/forestroads. If you want to share your comments regarding state forest roads with the DNR, please submit your comments online or via email by December 1, 2020. Please direct your comments to the aforementioned website link or to DNR-RoadInventoryProject@Michigan.gov. Additionally, members of the public are welcome to share their comments at the upcoming January 2021 Natural Resources Commission meeting.

New state forest road maps will be available online on April 1, 2021.