Function, effects, and management of forest roads

We propose a unified approach to the management and analysis of the function and effects of roads on forested rural landscapes. The approach is based on considering roads as ecosystems (techno-ecosystems) and conducting analyses of road ecology prior to making policy or management decisions. An ecosystem approach to road issues has four advantages: (1) allows for the analysis of all types of roads irrespective of geographic location; (2) provides a holistic framework for analyzing all aspects of roads from their alignment to their operation and decommissioning as well as all road functions irrespective of value judgment; (3) provides a holistic focus to their management; and (4) supplements landscape management approaches based on spatial concepts. We present five precautions to be considered when evaluating road ecosystems: (1) identify the type of road under consideration; (2) differentiate the effects and conditions of individual road segments from those of road networks; (3) he explicit about what phase of road development the argument applies because different phases of development have different effects on the landscape; (4) ascertain the age of the road and evaluate the degree of landscape adjustment to the road and vice versa; and (5) not to prejudge human-induced changes in landscapes as automatically good or bad for the ecology or economy of a region. This ecosystem focus and guiding principles are applied to several issues that road policy and management activities must address. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.