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Road Decommissioning

road decommissioning post fire
road decommissioning post fire

 

What – Mechanical equipment such as an excavator or dozer is used to decommission unauthorized roads that are destabilized as a result of loss of vegetation following high burn severity. 

Purpose – Intended to improve infiltration, restore hillslope hydrology, and reduce erosion following subsoiling (tilling), recontouring road fill, and restoring drainage through the road prism using mechanical equipment.

Effectiveness – No quantitative data is available on soil erosion rates.  However, visual inspection revealed that treatment objectives to improve infiltration and reduce erosion by restoring the slope were achieved in treated areas.

Where

  • Hillslope with multiple unclassified roads.
  • Areas with high-burn severity and high soil erosion potential.

Cost – $7000–8000 per mile.  Additional factors include:

  • Location and access
  • Equipment type and size necessary to implement the treatment

How to Link – See USDA BAER Catalog page 160 (PDF page 168).