Legacy Roads and Trails Accomplishment Report, FY 2008

摘要

The road network in the USFS, Pacific Northwest Region 6 (PNW) is vast, with a total length of 92,000 miles. This is more than the total length of streams on National Forests in Oregon and Washington. These roads provide multiple benefits, including access for recreational and resource management activities. However, forest roads can have substantial impacts on aquatic habitat and water quality, especially when they are not adequately designed or maintained. Much of the Regions road system was built during the 1960s and 1970s to support intensive timber management across much of the land. Management shifts towards a more balanced, ecosystem-based approach during the mid-1990s reduced the need for such an extensive network. Since that time, major reductions in funding have limited annual maintenance to less than 15% of the system, just as many of its critical components are nearing or have exceeded their life-expectancy. Improvements are being accomplished on only 1% of the road system annually.