Accessibility of Forests in the Hilly Country

1991

S. 245-266

7 Abb., 2 Tab., 12 Lit. Ang.

Unselbständiges Werk

200062095

A draft is presented in this paper of the conception of forest road system in the hilly country, in view of forest ecology and forest soil and water resource conservation. The state and effectiveness of the accessibility of several gravitational areas had been analyzed: then the conditions of the optimum accessibility of forest in the hilly country were defined. The optimum shape and density of forest roads are influenced first of all by the terrain configuration and by the used skidding machines. It is proposed to use more and more contour hauling roads, bridging the valley on the boundary of uplands and steep slopes; these roads meet the ecological and economic requirements in a better way than do the valley and ridge ones. A newly introduced criterion of the hauling road effectiveness was used: it is the ratio of optimally accessible and actual skidding distance. In the draft it is recommended to reduce the density of skidding roads to the tolerable value; low intensity of their use, harmful impacts on the water resource management and forest soil loss must be taken into consideration. Wood skidding the along the shortest track from a stump to a hauling roads is an elementry requirement: These skidding tracks with preserved humus layer should lead in most cases along slope lines.