BERLIN - New Hampshire's Bureau of Trails is considering whether to buy thousands of acres near Jericho Lake for snowmobile and ATV trails.

The land includes more than 4,000 acres the U.S.Forest Service sought to include in the White Mountain National Forest.

Several groups have an interest in the area. They include the Forest Service, conservationists and Maine logging contractor Tom Dillon. Dillon owns or has agreements to buy about 9,000 acres in the area.

Bureau head Paul Gray calls discussions preliminary. He said money to buy the land would be raised through snowmobile registrations and other measures.

Officials say negotiations could take months. The Governor and Executive Council also would need to approve any deal to buy the land.