Please Don’t Cut Fences to Access National Forest

By SFNF

The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) reminds visitors that fences on the forest are an important management tool for multiple uses, including the protection of natural resources. Unfortunately, a few forest users apparently view fences only as barriers to their particular interests or pursuits.

Conventional barbed-wire fences are common across the 1.6 million acres of the SFNF. Cutting, removing or damaging fences or gates is against the law and can result in serious threats not only to natural resources but to life and property. Cutting fences also results in higher infrastructure costs and creates potential environmental impacts.

Forest managers deal with the consequences of cut fences on a regular basis. One of the more common outcomes of fence vandalism is livestock on or near roadways open to motorized traffic. Many roads through the national forest have limited sight visibility, and a collision with wildlife or livestock that has walked across a cut fence can cause injury and damage. When driving through the forest, please be aware of your surroundings and expect the unexpected to avoid a serious accident.

An increasingly common reason for cutting fences is recreational. Some users have cut fencing to create easier access to both authorized and unauthorized trails. The unintended consequence may include resource damage that contributes to erosion in riparian areas or disturbs wildlife.

If you are a forest user, please remember that national forests by law are managed for multiple uses, including timber, range, water, recreation and wildlife. Whatever your personal passion or interest is, please be considerate of all other users when you are on the SFNF.