Roads represent an environmental challenge. Drainage from roads and their associated features can cause erosion and reduce water quality. The challenges roads present can be overcome through proper design, construction, use, and maintenance. The Purpose of Roads in the National Forest System Under the National Forest Management Act, the Forest Service must develop a management plan for each unit of the National Forest System. Roads in the National Forest System are important for all these purposes, but increasingly for recreation access.
More people visit the national forests than the national parks by at least a factor of two.
To implement management plans, the Forest Service must have access to the forests through a well-maintained road system. This requires a substantial, dependable road budget for maintenance as well as reconstruction. Severe cuts in the Forest Service's road program have resulted in the agency's using timber purchasers to perform some work on existing roads that are in need of repair. A purchaser of Forest Service timber often needs to build or reconstruct roads to access a timber sale area. Roads should be seen as a capital investment.