National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act
PL 114-245 (H.R.845), enacted 11/28/2016

130 STAT. 990 
PUBLIC LAW 114–245—NOV. 28, 2016 
Public Law 114–245 
114th Congress 
An Act 
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to publish in the Federal Register a strategy 
to significantly increase the role of volunteers and partners in National Forest 
System trail maintenance, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National 
Forest System Trails Stewardship Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for this Act 
is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. National forest system trails volunteer and partnership strategy. 
Sec. 5. Priority trail maintenance program. 
Sec. 6. Cooperative agreements. 
Sec. 7. Stewardship credits for outfitters and guides. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
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, moun-
tain 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 mainte-
nance, 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 effi-
cient 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 volun-
teers and partners are used as effectively as possible. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
16 USC 583k–1. 
16 USC 583k. 
16 USC 583k 
note. 
National Forest 
System Trails 
Stewardship Act. 
Nov. 28, 2016 
[H.R. 845] 
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130 STAT. 991 
PUBLIC LAW 114–245—NOV. 28, 2016 
(1) ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT.—The term ‘‘Administrative Unit’’ 
means a national forest or national grassland. 
(2) OUTFITTER OR GUIDE.—The term ‘‘outfitter or guide’’ 
means an individual, organization, or business who provides 
outfitting or guiding services, as defined in section 251.51 of 
title 36, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(3) PARTNER.—The term ‘‘partner’’ means a non-Federal 
entity that engages in a partnership. 
(4) PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘‘partnership’’ means arrange-
ments between the Department of Agriculture or the Forest 
Service and a non-Federal entity that are voluntary, mutually 
beneficial, and entered into for the purpose of mutually agreed- 
upon objectives. 
(5) PRIORITY AREA.—The term ‘‘priority area’’ means a well- 
defined region on National Forest System land selected by 
the Secretary under section 5(a). 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Agriculture. 
(7) STRATEGY.—The term ‘‘strategy’’ means the National 
Forest System Trails Volunteer and Partnership Strategy 
authorized by section 4(a). 
(8) TRAIL
MAINTENANCE.—The term ‘‘trail maintenance’’ 
means any activity to maintain the usability and sustainability 
of trails within the National Forest System, including— 
(A) ensuring trails are passable by the users for which 
they are managed; 
(B) preventing environmental damage resulting from 
trail deterioration; 
(C) protecting public safety; and 
(D) averting future deferred maintenance costs. 
(9) VOLUNTEER.—The term ‘‘volunteer’’ means an individual 
whose services are accepted by the Secretary without compensa-
tion under the Volunteers in the National Forests Act of 1972 
(16 U.S.C. 558a et seq.). 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM TRAILS VOLUNTEER AND PART-
NERSHIP STRATEGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal 
Register a strategy to significantly increase the role of volunteers 
and partners in trail maintenance. 
(b) REQUIRED ELEMENTS.—The strategy required by subsection 
(a) shall— 
(1) augment and support the capabilities of Federal 
employees to carry out or contribute to trail maintenance; 
(2) provide meaningful opportunities for volunteers and 
partners to carry out trail maintenance in each region of the 
Forest Service; 
(3) address the barriers to increased volunteerism and part-
nerships in trail maintenance identified by volunteers, partners, 
and others; 
(4) prioritize increased volunteerism and partnerships in 
trail maintenance in those regions with the most severe trail 
maintenance needs, and where trail maintenance backlogs are 
jeopardizing access to National Forest lands; and 
Deadline. 
16 USC 583k–2. 
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130 STAT. 992 
PUBLIC LAW 114–245—NOV. 28, 2016 
(5) aim to increase trail maintenance by volunteers and 
partners by 100 percent by the date that is 5 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—As a component of the strategy, 
the Secretary shall study opportunities to improve trail maintenance 
by addressing opportunities to use fire crews in trail maintenance 
activities in a manner that does not jeopardize firefighting capabili-
ties, public safety, or resource protection. Upon a determination 
that trail maintenance would be advanced by use of fire crews 
in trail maintenance, the Secretary shall incorporate these proposals 
into the strategy, subject to such terms and conditions as the 
Secretary determines to be necessary. 
(d) VOLUNTEER LIABILITY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 3 of the Volunteers in the 
National Forests Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 558c) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(e) For the purposes of subsections (b), (c), and (d), the term 
‘volunteer’ includes a person providing volunteer services to the 
Secretary who— 
‘‘(1) is recruited, trained, and supported by a cooperator 
under a mutual benefit agreement with the Secretary; and 
‘‘(2) performs such volunteer services under the supervision 
of the cooperator as directed by the Secretary in the mutual 
benefit agreement, including direction that specifies— 
‘‘(A) the volunteer services to be performed by the 
volunteers and the supervision to be provided by the coop-
erator; 
‘‘(B) the applicable project safety standards and proto-
cols to be adhered to by the volunteers and enforced by 
the cooperator; and 
‘‘(C) the on-site visits to be made by the Secretary, 
when feasible, to verify that volunteers are performing 
the volunteer services and the cooperator is providing the 
supervision agreed upon.’’. 
(2) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
adopt regulations implementing this section. These regulations 
shall ensure that the financial risk from claims or liability 
associated with volunteers undertaking trail maintenance is 
shared by all administrative units. 
(e) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall develop the strategy 
in consultation with volunteer and partner trail maintenance 
organizations, a broad array of outdoor recreation stakeholders, 
and other relevant stakeholders. 
(f) VOLUNTEER
AND PARTNERSHIP COORDINATION.—The Sec-
retary shall require each administrative unit to develop a volunteer 
and partner coordination implementation plan for the strategy 
which clearly defines roles and responsibilities for the administra-
tive unit and district staff, and includes strategies to ensure suffi-
cient coordination, assistance, and support for volunteers and part-
ners to improve trail maintenance. 
(g) REPORT.— 
(1) CONTENTS.—The Secretary shall prepare a report on— 
(A) the effectiveness of the strategy in addressing the 
trail maintenance backlog; 
(B) the increase in volunteerism and partnership 
efforts on trail maintenance as a result of the strategy; 
Implementation 
plan. 
Deadline. 
Regulations. 
Definition. 
Determination. 
Incorporation. 
Study. 
Deadline. 
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130 STAT. 993 
PUBLIC LAW 114–245—NOV. 28, 2016 
(C) the miles of National Forest System trails main-
tained by volunteers and partners, and the approximate 
value of the volunteer and partnership efforts; 
(D) the status of the stewardship credits for outfitters 
and guides pilot program described in section 7 that 
includes the number of participating sites, total amount 
of the credits offered, estimated value of trail maintenance 
performed, and suggestions for revising the program; and 
(E) recommendations for further increasing vol-
unteerism and partnerships in trail maintenance. 
(2) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit the report 
required by paragraph (1) to— 
(A) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For-
estry and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee 
on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives. 
SEC. 5. PRIORITY TRAIL MAINTENANCE PROGRAM. 
(a) SELECTION.—In accordance with subsections (b) and (c), 
not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall select no fewer than 9 and 
no more than 15 priority areas for increased trail maintenance 
accomplishments. 
(b) CRITERIA.—Priority areas shall include a well-defined region 
on National Forest System land where the lack of trail maintenance 
has— 
(1) reduced access to public land; 
(2) led to an increase, or risk of increase, in harm to 
natural resources; 
(3) jeopardized public safety; 
(4) resulted in trails being impassible by the intended 
managed users; or 
(5) increased future deferred trail maintenance costs. 
(c) REQUIREMENTS.—In selecting priority areas, the Secretary 
shall— 
(1) consider any public input on priority areas received 
within 3 months of the date of enactment of this Act; 
(2) consider the range of trail users (including motorized 
and non-motorized trail users); and 
(3) include at least one priority area in each region of 
the United States Forest Service. 
(d) INCREASED TRAIL MAINTENANCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Within 6 months of the selection of pri-
ority areas under subsection (a), and in accordance with para-
graph (2), the Secretary shall develop an approach to substan-
tially increase trail maintenance accomplishments within each 
priority area. 
(2) CONTENTS.—In developing the approach under para-
graph (1), the Secretary shall— 
(A) consider any public input on trail maintenance 
priorities and needs within any priority area; 
(B) consider the costs and benefits of increased trail 
maintenance within each priority area; and 
(C) incorporate partners and volunteers in the trail 
maintenance. 
Time period. 
Time period. 
Deadline. 
16 USC 583k–3. 
Recommenda- 
tions. 
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130 STAT. 994 
PUBLIC LAW 114–245—NOV. 28, 2016 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 845: 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 114–770, Pt. 1 (Comm. on Agriculture). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 162 (2016): 
Sept. 26, considered and passed House. 
Nov. 16, considered and passed Senate. 
(3) REQUIRED TRAIL MAINTENANCE.—Utilizing the approach 
developed under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall substan-
tially increase trail maintenance within each priority area. 
(e) COORDINATION.—The regional volunteer and partnership 
coordinators may be responsible for assisting partner organizations 
in developing and implementing volunteer and partnership projects 
to increase trail maintenance within priority areas. 
(f) REVISION.—The Secretary shall periodically review the pri-
ority areas to determine whether revisions are necessary and may 
revise the priority areas, including the selection of new priority 
areas or removal of existing priority areas, at his sole discretion. 
SEC. 6. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter into a cooperative 
agreement with any State, tribal, local governmental, and private 
entity to carry out this Act. 
(b) CONTENTS.—Cooperative agreements authorized under this 
section may— 
(1) improve trail maintenance in a priority area; 
(2) implement the strategy; or 
(3) advance trail maintenance in a manner deemed appro-
priate by the Secretary. 
SEC. 7. STEWARDSHIP CREDITS FOR OUTFITTERS AND GUIDES. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.—Within 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, in accordance with this section, the Secretary shall 
establish a pilot program on not less than 20 administrative units 
to offset all or part of the land use fee for an outfitting and 
guiding permit by the cost of the work performed by the permit 
holder to construct, improve, or maintain National Forest System 
trails, trailheads, or developed sites that support public use under 
terms established by the Secretary. 
(b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In establishing the pilot pro-
gram authorized by subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 
(1) select administrative units where the pilot program 
will improve trail maintenance; and 
(2) establish appropriate terms and conditions, including 
meeting National Quality Standards for Trails and the Trail 
Management Objectives identified for the trail. 
Approved November 28, 2016. 
Time period. 
16 USC 583k–5. 
16 USC 583k–4. 
Review. 
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