Assessing and Managing the Ecological Impacts of Paved Roads

Assessing and Managing the Ecological Impacts of Paved Roads
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2006-01-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0309100887

All phases of road developmentâ€"from construction and use by vehicles to maintenanceâ€"affect physical and chemical soil conditions, water flow, and air and water quality, as well as plants and animals. Roads and traffic can alter wildlife habitat, cause vehicle-related mortality, impede animal migration, and disperse nonnative pest species of plants and animals. Integrating environmental considerations into all phases of transportation is an important, evolving process. The increasing awareness of environmental issues has made road development more complex and controversial. Over the past two decades, the Federal Highway Administration and state transportation agencies have increasingly recognized the importance of the effects of transportation on the natural environment. This report provides guidance on ways to reconcile the different goals of road development and environmental conservation. It identifies the ecological effects of roads that can be evaluated in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of roads and offers several recommendations to help better understand and manage ecological impacts of paved roads.

Designing Sustainable Off-Highway Vehicle Trails

Designing Sustainable Off-Highway Vehicle Trails
Author: Agriculture Department
Publisher: Government Printing Office
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2014-04-08
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780160923036

Property management of off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails is one of the most important tasks for trail managers today. Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulation Part 212.1, the Forest Service defines an OHV as any motor vehicle designed for or capable of cross-country travel on or immediately over land, water, sand, snow, ice, or marsh, swamp, or other natural terrain. In this report, off-highway vehicles, OVH, include everything from dirt bikes to swamp buggies, off-road vehicles, off-highway motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, utility-terrain vehicles, four-wheel drive vehicles, such as pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, and tracked vehicles. This illustrated report takes into consideration trail guidelines, fundamentals, assessments, management objectives, and layouts to reinforce the management framework presented to help OHV managers develop sustainable trails and protect the environment of surrounding trails. This framework provides a step-by-step approach to OHV trail management, incorporating sustainable design and management concepts with traditional trail management expertise and modern technological tools. Forest service and land management personnel, including farmers and ranchers that may utilize and manage multiple off-highway vehicles may be interested in this report. Other products related to this title that may be of interest include the following: Code of Federal Regulations, Title 36, Parks, Forests, and Public Property, Pt. 200-299, Revised as of July 1, 2015 can be found at this link: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/869-082-00142-9