Vehicle access to roads and trails on open managed forest land, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

Under the bill, the owner of open MFL with roads or trails that are maintained for vehicular travel at a width of at least nine feet must permit public access to the roads and trails for the operation of any noncommercial motor vehicle with a gross weight of 8,000 pounds or less and any all-terrain vehicle, utility terrain vehicle, or snowmobile registered for public use or operated by a nonresident as authorized by a trail pass or trail use sticker. The landowner may close the roads or trails to all vehicles from April 1 to the first Saturday of the following May each year.

Under current law, an owner seeking to have land designated as MFL submits an application to DNR that contains a management plan for the land. If the MFL meets the eligibility requirements under the program, DNR approves the application and issues an order designating the land as MFL. An owner may choose to have the order last 25 or 50 years. An owner may modify the designation of a closed or open area two times during the term of the order.

The bill provides that an owner may modify the designation of a closed or open area for a period of one year following the effective date of the bill. This is in addition to two changes authorized under current law.

Road repair program The bill requires DOT to administer a managed forest land road repair program, which is funded from the forestry account of the conservation fund. Under the program, DOT must award grants to any individual owner of MFL where roads or trails have been damaged by vehicles operating as authorized by the bill. DOT must promulgate rules necessary to administer the program, including rules that establish all of the following for grants awarded under the program: 1) grants must be awarded in the order in which applications for grants are received by DOT; 2) grants may used for maintenance, but not improvement, of roads and trails; and 3) grants must reimburse 100 percent of the actual costs incurred by the grantee for eligible maintenance activities.