Tongass National Forest

This concern is primarily related to how temporary roads are monitored or tracked after the project that authorized it has been completed. If these roads are not successfully decommissioned during the project, they can have potential resource problems and/or become unclassified roads. Often, these roads are not included in corporate GIS road layers, and may be overlooked in assessment or project planning efforts.

Relatively new Forest Service Transportation Policies require identification and tracking of unclassified roads until they have been certified as successfully decommissioned. Temporary roads included in projects are tracked by the parent project to assure they are decommissioned successfully, and thus do not result in a future unclassified road. Much effort has been done to inventory roads on the Tongass in recent years. More emphasis has been put on inventory of classified roads in some areas of the Forest. Project level analysis needs to be tied into the Forest-scale Roads Analysis Process, including required inventory of all existing roads within each project area.

Review the policies and procedures for tracking temporary roads to assure they are decommissioned and do not become future unclassified roads. Make recommendations for changes to the Forest transportation planning policies and procedures as necessary.

• Forest Transportation Planner
• District Ranger
• Forest Engineer
• Timber Management Specialist (Fletcher)

• Policy clarification and adjustment