Road Reclamation & Remediation Needs throughout the National Forest System, January 2008

To download the full report, please click on the link to the attachment immediately below the following summary and recommendations.

Report Summary & Recommendations

On December 26, 2007, President Bush signed the Omnibus Appropriations Act for 2008 into law. That act contained a provision called the Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative (LRRI) that provided $39.4 million to the Forest Service for road remediation and reclamation.

According to the conference committee report, LRRI funds are to be used “for urgently needed road decommissioning, road and trail repair and maintenance, removal of certain fish passage barriers, or for protection of community water sources….” Conference Report, Division F, p. 53. The House bill and committee report contain additional guidance, which clearly state that restoration should be focused in environmentally sensitive areas, on roads and trails damaged by recent storms, and in areas where Forest Service roads are degrading fisheries and community water sources. In addition, the language recommends prioritization based on project readiness.

This report provides a brief survey of examples of road reclamation and remediation needs that meet these criteria from throughout the Forest Service (all but Regions 2 and 9 are represented in this report). Regions 1, 5 and 6 have likely experienced the most significant storm impacts to roads and watersheds in the country. Region 6 has experienced particularly intense storms for two years in a row, causing more than $30 million in damage to Forest Service roads in 2006 alone. This funding should be prioritized to go to areas that have experienced severe storm damage.

Nonetheless, while the funding provided in the LRRI is targeted to such areas, forest roads cause significant impacts to fisheries and water quality in the absence of storms as well. This survey, therefore, highlights both storm and non-storm road impacts to fisheries and watersheds around the country. We are not specifically recommending that LRRI funding be used for the projects included in the report, instead these examples are intended to represent a small sampling of the opportunities that exist within most Forest Service regions.

In compiling this survey, we came across two consistent themes regarding long-term road reclamation and remediation needs: personnel to undertake the analysis process, and funding to implement the projects on the ground. As a result of this survey and in conjunction with work done by the Washington Watershed Restoration Initiative to address storm damage in Washington State, Wildlands CPR recommends the following approaches to implementing the Legacy Roads Remediation Initiative:

• Prioritize watershed restoration in areas where limited investment can result in significant returns. Identify priority basins and sub-basins with the best opportunities to attain water quality objectives with limited investment and the treatment of relatively few road miles (e.g. treat healthier watersheds first).
• Prioritize the majority of funding for actual road decommissioning efforts on the ground rather than fixing roads that are likely to fail again in future storm/flood events.
• Upgrade culverts and fix barriers to fish passage on roads that provide critical access, and therefore cannot be decommissioned.
• Provide dedicated Forest Service staff time to complete NEPA analyses for future road reclamation and reclamation projects.
• Utilize Categorical Exclusions (CE) when conducting NEPA analyses for road reclamation and remediation projects. While some projects will require Environmental Analyses or Environmental Impact Statements, many projects can be implemented efficiently and effectively using CE’s.
• Utilize some portion of the funding for monitoring project effectiveness over the short and long-term. Monitoring should include the collection of pre-project baseline data and post-project short- and long-term effectiveness. Forests should also consider monitoring the economic benefits and impacts generated through watershed restoration activities.
• At the project level, use some portion of this funding to engage and inform the public about watershed restoration and remediation needs, projects and opportunities (including through the use of pre- and post-project field trips). The most successful watershed restoration projects around the country are those that have strong community support from the outset.
• Assess road reclamation and remediation needs and incorporate decisions articulating these needs into the travel planning processes that are currently underway on many forests.

The Legacy Roads Remediation Initiative is an excellent opportunity for the Forest Service to address some of its most critical and recurring road needs. The recommendations above make clear that there will be many competing demands for this limited funding. This funding is well-timed to address critical concerns in light of the increasing frequency and intensity of severe storms. There is a direct correlation between the number, status and condition of roads on the ground and the level of damage caused when a severe flood event occurs. While there is no way to prevent storms from happening, this funding can be used to begin to show how preventative treatment can dramatically reduce the impact of severe storms on water quality and fish habitat.

While we certainly can’t fix all the roads tomorrow, the sooner we start the process, the better our watersheds will handle future floods. The potential for sustained support for this work will be higher if the current LRRI funding is effectively utilized on the ground. We recommend that the Forest Service maintain open communication with interested parties regarding how this funding is expended and its effectiveness in meeting stated objectives. We are pleased that restoration funding has been provided for this emerging priority and look forward to supporting these efforts in the coming years.

To learn about the road reclamation and remediation needs in some places not discussed in the report, visit the following:

• Puget Sound watershed (Washington)
• Tongass National Forest (Alaska)
• San Juan Mountains (Colorado)

This brief survey of road reclamation and remediation needs was prepared by Wildlands CPR, with assistance from  Bark, California Wilderness Coalition, Forest Guardians, Gifford Pinchot Task Force, Nez Perce Tribe, Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, Swan View Coalition, and The Wilderness Society.

For more information about this report, contact Bethanie Walder: wildlandscpr@wildlandspcr.org (406) 543-9551.