Canfor - Logging Roads

INTRODUCTION

Living organisms go through different stages in their life cycle as they go from birth to death. Non-living structures, such as logging roads, can be said to go through parallel stages as well, from "birth" or design to "death" or deactivation. Throughout the stages of their "lives" logging roads provide the necessary access for workers and recreationists, however, they produce the potential risk of erosion as well.

Roads and the possible environmental issues surrounding them were discussed in Logging Roads - The Issues. This article will be exploring the life cycle of a road, which are all of the phases that forest engineers go through in dealing with roads: planning, location, survey, construction, maintenance and deactivation. In British Columbia and Alberta all phases in the life of a road fall under the government regulations and must support the overall forestry goals of sustainability and multiple use resource management.

PLANNING

Logging roads are built primarily to support timber harvesting but may be used by campers, tree planters and forest fire fighters. Timber harvesting and it's associated transportation networks are all tied to the forestry planning process, and thus to the goals of multiple use and resource protection. Road location, design, construction, maintenance and deactivation are described in increasing detail throughout the forestry planning process. The main levels of forest planning include:

Management Working Plan (MWP) - Total watershed planning recognizing all natural resources in perpetuity. Broad goals and philosophy,
Forest Development Plan (FDP) - logistics and schedules for the next 5 years in support of the MWP
Silviculture Prescription (SP) - specifics of how each resource is going to be managed on this particular site (logging cutblock).
Road Permit (RP) - Maps, details and measurements of each road, including class of road (main access in the long term to temp road for one season), special construction techniques, deactivation / maintenance plan, and type of vehicle use.

The goal in the managed forest is to minimize the total amount of road built because roads are very expensive, take up valuable growing land and are a liability to the company in terms of potential environmental impacts. At the same time, roads are important assets which offer long-term access for both forestry and recreational users. The balance between these two competing values is found through the efficient location of roads, and the deactivation of unused roads.

LOCATION

Location, location, location. We know the importance of this with real estate but it is also true in the case of roads. Planning the placement of the road is critical for determining the level of environmental impact, future road safety, and the cost of the road. How well the road is planned in connection to future logging blocks also affects the cost of harvesting. Exploration for the layout of the road route begins with the Forest Development Plan approval.

Forest engineers will walk the blocks that are proposed as part of the FDP. Step one is assessing whether or not a road should be considered as the best option for getting the wood out. The forest engineers look for major problems such as unstable terrain, problem soils or large creek crossings. If the engineers determine that no roads should be built, then helicopter logging may be planned.

All of the access options are examined and second opinions and feedback from members of the team are sought, so that the final option selected will have the best potential for environmental protection, safety and economics. Future development is also an important consideration, addressing the question of how an option fits the management plans for the next 20 years.

If there are no major problems identified, then the road location work will continue. Air photos, large scale forest cover maps, small scale contour maps, and local knowledge of the area are reviewed. The forest engineers look for main "control points" in an area. These are the key landscape features that will be particularly useful, such as "benches" (flat "steps" on a hillside) for easier road building, flat areas to land the logs after harvest, places to put "switch backs" (zigzag turns) and critical stream crossings. Once these areas are identified and located, various routes are explored that connect these points.

There are many considerations in selecting a route for a road. For example, the routes have to consider where the next ten years of logging is going to be, the abilities of the logging equipment to negotiate slopes and curves, the types and number of culverts and bridges required, and whether the routes enter "riparian management zones" (areas beside a fish stream). In British Columbia, riparian zones have special road building requirements in order to protect these sensitive ecosystems, including 'No Construction Zones.'

The forest engineer may call in a specialist such as a geotechnical engineer, geoscientist or hydrologist, to assess any areas of concern. An area of concern might be a route above a certain slope, or one in a community watershed. Ultimately, the Ministry of Forests must still approve the road location before any activities start.

Several routes will be explored until the location that best suits the profile or shape of the land is determined. The next stage will be the survey.

SURVEY

During the survey stage of road building, the road is designed to fit the profile of the land. The careful measurements and detailed design of this stage of a road's life are the essential elements in the road permit application. The government review of this application will determine whether the road process continues.

Measurements are fundamental in the survey and design phase and and technology plays a key role. Some examples of the technology used are: Global Positioning Systems, laser technology survey equipment, hand held survey PC notepads, road building software, terrain stability models, road engineering software and GIS computer systems.

Technological tools and measurements help to design maps, cross sections and profiles. These diagrams will show each part of the road, how it fits into the landscape, what materials will be used and construction details. The final design is submitted to the Ministry of Forests for their approval of the road permit.

The size and complexity of the road permit request has changed dramatically over the last 10 years, from a two page letter and map to a one-inch-thick comprehensive proposal. The proposal includes all of the obligations described in great detail with maps and schedules, survey notes, 3 quotes from different companies for all major structures ( such as bridges), all professional reports and a copy of the silviculture prescription.

The approval process goes through both the district and the regional offices of the Ministry of Forests. Once approval is granted and a permit is issued, construction can begin.

CONSTRUCTION

It may take two or three years of planning and studies before the construction phase of road projects is reached. The level of construction varies depending on end use of the road and the terrain it crosses. If a road is "temporary" (slated to be permanently deactivated) the standard is different than if the road is expected to be used for permanent access. The standard is different again for any work near streams (riparian zones) due to the important habitat considerations. The construction machinery used today provides the flexibility to deliver this range of options.

In building a temporary road, future access to the tree growing soil is an important consideration. Road building soil is quite different from tree growing soil. The road builder wants parent material and clean non-organic material. Trees, however need organic topsoil. Where tree soil is located during temporary road building is an important planning consideration. The materials used and their placement will be different than in a permanent road. A temporary road can use some organic material like logs or up-turned stumps in its structure. These would not be suitable for a permanent road as the inevitable rotting that would occur would create an unstable and sinking running surface. In some wet areas temporary roads may be built overland, with no digging at all. In the north temporary winter roads made with snow and other materials are built for winter logging.

Road construction in riparian zones must meet a special standard of minimal impact. The time frame for constructing roads can be narrow when fish streams are involved. July 15 to September 15 is the construction window selected in order to avoid sensitive portions of fish life cycles such as spawning and rainy season erosion risks.

Forest engineers try to build roads using on-site materials. The excavators and articulated rock trucks used today allow a great deal of flexibility and dexterity in building. One benefit of excavators is that material can easily be removed and dumped elsewhere as opposed to being pushed over the edge, which was the only option with the bulldozers used in the past. This procedure, called side casting, is no longer permitted due to the erosive effects it generates. The evolution in road building equipment has raised the standard for road building significantly.

The Forest Practices Code of British Columbia and related guidebooks specify very clearly the standards and methods for building new roads. The penalties for negligence are significant, including large fines, loss of cut and jail.

Once the road is built to the planned specifications, the road is usually left for a period of time to settle. Once it is open and being used, the maintenance phase of the road begins.

MAINTENANCE

Once the roads are built, forest companies are responsible for maintaining the road in good environmental condition. Managing water and sediment are on-going commitments.

Maintenance actions include drainage, structure upkeep, brushing for visibility, revegetating any banks that are eroding and the grading and winterizing of roads.

Roads can be designed to have lower maintenance requirements by building in grade breaks (doesn't allow build up of water runoff), using bigger culverts and less erodible materials.

As long as the roads are maintained, the forest company is liable for any erosion damage that might result. Maintenance inspections are done on regular intervals, and after significant weather events. To remove this liability, unused roads can be "deactivated."

DEACTIVATION

Deactivation is the "de-building" of roads. This can be temporary or permanent depending on the goal. Some of the controversy around deactivation has to do with both wildlife and access issues.

Temporary deactivation, sometimes referred to as winterizing, would include pulling culverts and adding cross ditches to the road. These roads would be passable with 4 wheel drives or ATV's, but not usable to most vehicles. This is done in cases where there are wildlife concerns about hunting or when on-going maintenance of the road will be curtailed for some time.

Permanent deactivation includes returning the land to its former slope. In this case the road is erased. The purpose is to remove any erosion potential. In some cases of permanent deactivation there is also rehabilitation which restores the topsoil and tree growing abilities.

The de-building of roads is an expensive and sometimes controversial undertaking. Many people use forestry roads for hunting and camping, and are often against having these roads deactivated. Some forest companies like to maintain that access for future timber or protection needs, such as fire fighting. However, the primary goal in deactivation is an environmental one designed to reduce the risk of erosion, limit human access to wildlife populations and increase the productive potential of the forest. Future access for fire, silviculture and pest activities can be handled by leaving temporary 4x4 access or installing helipads.

SUMMARY

All of the phases in the life of a road are planned in a comprehensive process that ties these engineering projects to sustainable forest management principles. The planning procedure searches for engineering alternatives that will suit the natural processes of each area and protect surrounding forest resources and also balances safety, environment and economics.

The intensive study done in the planning, location and survey stages help to ensure new roads will be properly built. The Forest Practices Code regulations cover every aspect in the life of a road and the attendant penalties are designed to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Each phase in the life of a road must consider both the need for access and the protection of the many values of the forest. Past erosion problems caused by road building has left a legacy of public concern that has driven the regulatory and technological changes we see today, in order to deliver on environmental protection.

References:

Thanks to:

Dr. John Nelson - UBC Faculty of Forestry
Brian Martell - Canfor
Kelvin Hatfull - HATFULL & Associates
Robert Bowden - IFEBC

Logging Roads - Life Cycle