Forest Highway
Encyclopedia
Forest Highways or Forest Routes are a category of road
s within United States National Forest
s. They are built to connect the national forests to the existing state highway systems, and to provide improved access to recreational and logging areas.
Forest highways are designated by the United States Forest Service
and funded by the federal government
, but are generally owned and maintained by the state
s or counties
in which they are located. The forest highway system comprises approximately 29000 miles (46,670.9 km) of roads. Forest highways are usually marked with markers of the style shown at right. To qualify for inclusion in the system, a roadway must "be wholly or partially within, or adjacent to, and serving the National Forest System" among other criteria.
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
s within United States National Forest
United States National Forest
National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...
s. They are built to connect the national forests to the existing state highway systems, and to provide improved access to recreational and logging areas.
Description
The federal statues define the term Forest Highway as "a forest road under the jurisdiction of, and maintained by, a public authority and open to public travel."Forest highways are designated by the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
and funded by the federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
, but are generally owned and maintained by the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s or counties
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
in which they are located. The forest highway system comprises approximately 29000 miles (46,670.9 km) of roads. Forest highways are usually marked with markers of the style shown at right. To qualify for inclusion in the system, a roadway must "be wholly or partially within, or adjacent to, and serving the National Forest System" among other criteria.