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Figure 5. Select threatened and endangered species distribution on the ANF.

Strategy 5. Non-natural Features Management
The post-fire recovery of non-natural features such as trails, roads, and fuel breaks plays an important
role in maintaining healthy landscapes. These features provide critical pathways that allow Forest
Service personnel and other resource managers’ access to the forest to work and fight fires. They also
provide an opportunity to connect people with the outdoors and foster appreciation of the natural
environment. However, unmaintained and damaged trails, roads, and fuel breaks may exacerbate
natural resource problems by acting as conduits of sediment and other pollutants. Degraded
infrastructure and burned landscapes may also lead to users creating their own unauthorized off-trail
routes, which further impact the lands, increase pollutant sources, and provide new opportunity for the
introduction of invasive species. Restoring these features to Forest Service standards therefore provides
multiple benefits to ecosystem restoration and facilitating use and appreciation of public lands.

Field Condition Assessments – Gather information to strategically identify critical trails, road segments,
or fuel breaks in need of recovery projects related to the goals of this plan. Comprehensive field
condition assessments have already been completed for areas impacted by the Copper Fire.

Trail System Improvements - Maintenance, decommissioning, or improvement of Forest Service system
trails impacted by the fires. Preference for restoration locations will be toward those locations that
have resulted in the post-fire diminishment of forest or watershed health, forest management
capabilities, or forest use.

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