Forest Gumption: Yamaha Cleans The San Bernardino National Forest

Features, Manufacturer, Utility — By ATV Mag on June 17, 2009 at 12:00 pm

ATV Magazine was invited to a special OHV weekend in April, held in the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF) in Southern California. Two things were on the agenda. The first was to join Yamaha in its annual OHV Initiative trail clean-up day. The second was to partake in, along with Yamaha and other organizations, a United States Forest Service (USFS) program called Forest Aid.

“This weekend’s volunteer effort is part of our new OHV Ambassador’s program, encouraging Yamaha corporate and field staff to get more involved with hands-on OHV projects within their local communities,” explained Van Holmes, Yamaha ATV and side-by-side public relations. “It’s another example of Yamaha’s commitment to our local and OHV communities, as well as a showing of Yamaha employee support and camaraderie.”

If we hadn’t experienced it first hand, we would have thought Forest Aid and Yamaha’s efforts were essentially public relations “fluff pieces.” However, once you see how dedicated they are to protecting the environment and our right to ride off-road, it’s easier to comprehend. It’s takes initiative to fight for trees, something most people have in their yards! It’s about preserving our forests for both our immediate and future use.

Day 1
The first day consisted riding Grizzly ATVs (see sidebar) in the SBNF and assisting Yamaha with cleaning the SBNF trails and posting new labels on the trail markers. We rode with Yamaha ATV and Side-By-Side General Manger Mike Martinez and others in the marketing and media relations department and collected at least six industrial size bags of garbage. We found all sort of junk in the woods, from ATV and 4×4 parts to beer cans, a glass hash pipe and some dude’s rotting boxer shorts.

We also updated all of the trail markers with Yamaha’s new corporate red logo and lined several hundred feet of the trails with dead trees and rocks, a process called slashing, to discourage illegal OHV traffic. Yamaha officials also spoke with the San Bernardino National Forest Association (SBNFA) about trail conditions and areas of focus.

Yamaha and San Bernadino National Forest volunteers re-marked all the signs for the trails that Yamaha sponsors.

Day 2
The second day involved a partnership between the United States Forest Service (USFS), SBNFA, Yamaha and Tree People to plant bare-root seedlings in the forest. The planting was in response to horrible fires (2003 and ’07) and bark beetle devastation in the forest. About 85 Yamaha employees and family members volunteered to spend a day in the San Bernardino National Forest. Along with a few other local volunteers, our group planted about 1,200 trees in a half day of planting.

We had to learn how to use the tools and where and how to properly plant a bare-root seedling. The planting was fun, somewhat challenging and tiring, but well worth our time and energy. We encourage others to follow suit and donate their time to give back to a local forest or favorite riding area.

Initiative Background
Yamaha knows how important OHV trails are to its business. Without national forests, public riding areas and private parks, riding off-road would be far less appealing. That’s why Yamaha started its Grants Initiative program more than a year ago. Yamaha has donated more than $800,000 in OHV support to more than 80 organizations, including the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, state associations and individual riding clubs, since its initiative began.
Yamaha describes its OHV Access Initiative — supported nationwide by its dealers and their customers — as a proactive, grassroots program. The objective is to promote safe, responsible riding and sustainable, open riding areas. Through GRANTS (meaning Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails), Yamaha aids off-road clubs, organizations and agencies so they can promote, protect and maintain riding areas.
For more info on OHV Initiative, call (877)OHV-TRAIL (8724); or e-mail OHVAccess@yamaha-motor.com.

SBNF/SBNFA
The USFS Forest Aid program reports that the San Bernardino National Forest serves 24 million Southern California residents and is the most populated and recreated national forest in the nation’s system. That’s more visitors every year than Yellowstone and Yosemite combined. That’s also why the SBNF is considered an “urban” forest. Ten percent of the nation’s population is within a three-hour drive and more than 15 million people recreate there annually.

The forest offers 546,147 acres of land for motorized recreation, which is open to four-wheel-drive vehicles, ATVs, UTVs and motorcycles. Roughly 42 miles of 24 to 50-inch width trails and 166 miles of approved forest roads are available for green sticker/red sticker use.

Founded in 1992, the non-profit San Bernardino National Forest Association (SBNFA) serves both the SBNF and the Angeles National Forest. It provides outdoor recreational programs (including hands-on activities) to foster respect for the forest, the environment and stewardship. Roughly 300 OHV volunteers using motorcycles, ATVs and 4×4s assist with establishing a USFS presence and educational message for the SBNF. For information call (909)382-2796 or visit www.sbnfa.org.

More than 80 Yamaha employees volunteered to plant seedlings in the San Bernadino National Forest. The group planted roughly 1200 trees in a half day.

Tree People
Tree People, comprised of staff and volunteers, is passionate for trees, like off-road enthusiasts are hooked on dirt bikes and quads. Founded in 1973 by teenagers, Tree People plants trees and restores the pollution-damaged mountains of Southern California. Its mission is to inspire, engage and support people to become more responsible for the urban environment. Check them out at www.treepeople.org.

A Griz In The SBNF
My trip to the San Bernardino National Forest also let me get some seat time on Yamaha’s Grizzly 550. Although the smaller Grizzly has a lower displacement than the big-bore 700 in Yamaha’s fleet, it basically casts the same shadow and shares the power steering option.

The SBNF trails offered the perfect testing grounds for the 550. The terrain has it all, from tight switchback turns to whoops to creek crossings. We started at the Pinnacles trailhead and took off on the Yamaha-sponsored trails. In between looking for trash and re-marking the trails, I tested the 550’s skills in the dry, dusty conditions. While the thick dust hid some of the trail, it didn’t hide the Grizzly’s attitude or abilities.

The fuel-injected 558cc single-cylinder four-stroke powerplant surprised me with its hearty, controllable power. The Grizzly happily supplied a soft, comfortable ride when I increased the speeds, even in the choppiest of trails. The throttle control was smooth and the midrange power impressive. However, when the trails turned twisty, I noticed a bit more suspension roll than I prefer. The shocks are preload adjustable and a stiffer setting would have lessened the body lean in aggressive turns.
Power steering is a great addition to ATVs.

Although some may argue against the additional cost, I think it’s worth the extra $600. Anytime I can ride with less fatigue and know a system also absorbs impacts (square-edge hits), I ride with more confidence.

At $8,199, the 550 Grizzly with EPS is pricey, but it is also $300 cheaper than its more powerful brother, the 700 without EPS, and a viable option for many buyers. Some may want both features and spring for the big Griz, while others will be more than happy with the 550’s attributes. We know we like it.