Project funded
by theEU–DGEnvironment
L
andsurfacerelevant
forapplication
Artificial surface
Agriculture land
Forest and semi-natural areas
Wetlands
F
inancialcosts
(C
apital
,
operation
&
maintenance
)
Implementing this measure may incur
greater capital
costs
than would be
incurred if it were not followed. Forest roads may need to be longer to avoid
excessive slopes and to follow the contours of the landscape; stream crossings
may be more expensive as they will need to be larger and more robust than
a minimalist approach. However it may result in lower maintenance costs and
avoidance of costs associated with compliance failure. Field studies are required.
D
esign
Ideally, the road should be designed so as to
minimise slope
and should
be built on the most
stable
locations. Soft and fragile soils and areas where
groundwater is close to the soil surface should be avoided. This measure can be
performed in combination with water sensitive driving (F7) so as to minimize the
impact of driving on water quality in the forest landscape.
S
cale
The beneficial effects of properly de-
signed stream crossings will be most ap-
parent at a small spatial scale but can
have beneficial effects on downstream
rivers.
Forest access roads and other roads in rural areas often cross streams and other small watercourses. The bridges or culverts used to cross these watercourses
must be
designed appropriately
if negative impacts on the aquatic environment (such as increased sediment mobilisation and changes in flow patterns,
flooding upstream of the road crossing leading to downstream sediment pollution) are to be minimised.
FORESTRY
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