Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73not60
§583k Findings
Title 16 › Chapter 3— FORESTS; FOREST SERVICE; REFORESTATION; MANAGEMENT › Subchapter VI— NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM TRAILS STEWARDSHIP › § 583k
Summary
Congress finds that the National Forest System has over 157,000 miles of trails, but the Forest Service maintains only about one-quarter, leaving a $314 million trail backlog plus $210 million in annual needs. Poor upkeep risks access, safety, and the environment, and volunteers and partners need better coordination.
Full Legal Text
Title 16, §583k
Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Congress finds as follows:
(1)The National Forest System features a world-class trail system with over 157,000 miles of trails that provide world-class opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, hunting, mountain bicycling, motorized vehicles, and other outdoor activities.
(2)According to the Government Accountability Office, the Forest Service is only able to maintain about one-quarter of National Forest System trails to the agency standard, and the agency faces a trail maintenance backlog of $314 million, and an additional backlog of $210 million in annual maintenance, capital improvements, and operations.
(3)The lack of maintenance on National Forest System trails threatens access to public lands, and may cause increased environmental damage, threaten public safety, and increase future maintenance costs.
(4)Federal budget limitations require solutions to National Forest System trail maintenance issues that make more efficient use of existing resources.
(5)Volunteers, partners, and outfitters and guides play an important role in maintaining National Forest System trails, and a comprehensive strategy is needed to ensure that volunteers and partners are used as effectively as possible.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Short Title
Pub. L. 114–245, § 1(a), Nov. 28, 2016, 130 Stat. 990, provided that: “This Act [enacting this subchapter and amending section 558c of this title] may be cited as the ‘National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act’.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
16 U.S.C. § 583k
Title 16 — Conservation
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60