Michigan Laws 324.72118 – Forest roads; inventory; applicable provisions; posting on website
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
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Terms Used In Michigan Laws 324.72118
- Department: means the department of natural resources. See Michigan Laws 324.72101
- Forest road: means that term as defined in section 81101. See Michigan Laws 324.72101
- local unit: means a municipality or county. See Michigan Laws 324.301
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
- Trail: means a right-of-way adapted to foot, horseback, motorized, or other nonmotorized travel. See Michigan Laws 324.72101
(1) The department shall make a comprehensive inventory of forest roads that are state roads. The department shall divide the state into 5 regions and complete the inventory in regional phases. The Upper Peninsula shall be a separate region or regions. The department shall inventory the 2 most northerly regions in the Lower Peninsula by December 31, 2017. The department shall inventory the remaining regions by December 31, 2018. The inventory shall meet both of the following requirements:
(a) Identify the location, condition, and development level of the forest roads.
(b) Determine types of motorized and nonmotorized use currently restricted on each forest road segment and the seasons during which those uses are currently restricted.
(2) Beginning when the inventory for a region is completed or required to be completed, whichever occurs first, all of the following apply:
(a) The forest roads within that region are open to motorized use by the public unless designated otherwise by an order of the department under section 504. However, forest roads in the Upper Peninsula are open to motorized use by the public unless designated otherwise by an order of the department under section 504.
(b) If a timber harvest is planned for a particular area in that region, the department shall evaluate whether the timber harvest activity offers the opportunity to connect existing forest roads and trails in that area.
(c) The department shall not newly restrict a road or trail in that region from being used to access public land unless the department has provided each local unit of government in which the public land is located written notice that includes the reason for the restriction. This subdivision does not apply to a restriction imposed to protect public health or safety in an emergency situation.
(3) The department shall annually post to its website the total miles of forest roads open to motorized use in all inventoried regions and a map or maps of those forest roads.