The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation has announced a new policy on off-highway vehicle use on state park property it manages, including Foxboro State Forest.

ORVs, which include all-terrain vehicles and off-road motorcycles, presently are permitted to some extent on more than 200 miles of trails at the Foxboro forest and six other state parks.

The policy consists of new criteria that will be used to more consistently evaluate the appropriateness of a property for motorized recreation.

The criteria will ensure the protection of natural resources such as wetlands, water supply areas, wildlife habitats, and forests; proper coordination with communities; and public safety, officials say.

Many organizations such as the New England Trail Riders Association and the Nature Conservancy, hundreds of individuals, and dozens of agency staff have been working on the issue, DCR Acting Commissioner Priscilla Geigis said. "This policy will greatly aid DCR in protecting environmentally sensitive landscapes and guiding a popular form of outdoor recreation," Geigis said.

DCR is developing a plan within the next six months to address enforcement issues.

Presently, ORV use is permitted only on marked and designated ORV trails only during a riding season beginning no earlier than May 1 and ending no later than the last Sunday of November each year.

All ORVs must be registered in Massachusetts, and vehicles over 1,000 pounds are prohibited. No person under 12 years of age may operate an ORV, and persons 12 and 13 years of age may operate, but must be directly supervised by an adult.

Foxboro State Forest, formally known as F. Gilbert Hills State Forest, not only includes Foxboro, but also Wrentham and Franklin. An 8-mile loop is mostly rocky singletrack in Foxboro and is suitable only for motorcycles, not ATVs.

Additional trails are available at the Wrentham and Franklin state forests.

For more information, visit www.mass.gov/dcr/recreate/orv.htm, or call 1-617-626-4973.