Dirt bikes are polluting a Tennessee forest. The state took action.

Dirt bikes, four-wheelers and jeeps are temporarily banned from Franklin State Forest. 

Earlier this year, the state prohibited all vehicles, along with mechanical bikes, horseback riding and camping to conduct a four-month study on damaged terrain.

“We have been assessing conditions since March and have determined significant impact to erosion control, water quality, forest health, and other forms of recreation,” state forester David Arnold said in a press release. 

Franklin State Forest covers nearly 9,000 acres of land in the southern Cumberland Plateau, at the edge of Middle Tennessee in Franklin and Marion counties. The forest contains caves, waterfalls and abandoned mines. 

Courtesy Tennessee Department of Agriculture

The Franklin State Forest extended its restrictions through January 3, 2024.

Heavy vehicles, usually powered by fossil fuels, can harm air quality, trample vegetation, displace wildlife through noise pollution, and erode soils. Eroded soils and their particles flow into and cloud streams and rivers. Soils can also become compacted over time from repeated impact, making the soils less porous and permeable to air, water and roots. 

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, which runs the Division of Forestry, largely prohibits the use of bikes and vehicles in Tenneessee’s 15 state forests, except for some designated roads or trails. The problem is that people are using vehicles in other areas of the forest, the department said.  

The updated restrictions for Franklin State Forest now only target motorized vehicles and will continue through Jan. 4, 2024. 

“This extension of some restrictions will provide our forest staff time to make repairs and consider future use on all forest roads and trails to adequately protect, conserve, and enhance this public forest for future generations,” Arnold said. 

The department has repaired six miles of roads and trails and plans to remediate an additional 30 miles.