The Forest Service has released a scientific approach for evaluating road systems on the National Forests, entitled: Roads Analysis: Informing decisions about managing the National Forest Transportation Sustem. Misc. Report No. 643.
Copies of the document are available from the Rocky Mountain Research Station, Publications Distribution, 3825 E. Mulberry Street, Ft. Collins, CO 80524-8597.Ý Find it on the Web at: www.fs.fed.us/news/roads/DOCSroad-analysis.shtml
Roads analysis is an integrated ecological, social, and economic approach to transportation planning, addressing both existing and future roads - including those planned in unroaded areas. Roads analysis is intended to be based on science. Analysts should locate, correctly interpret, and use all relevant existing scientific literature in the analysis, disclose any assumptions made during the analysis, and reveal the limitations of the information on which the analysis is based. Finally, the analysis report should be subjected to critical technical review.
The analysis is designed to be scaleable, flexible, and driven by road-related issues important to the public and to managers. It uses a multiscale approach to ensure that these issues are examined in context. And it provides a set of analytical questions to be used in fitting analysis techniques to individual situations. Roads analysis is intended to complement and integrate existing laws, policy, guidance, and practice into the analysis and management of roads on the national forests. Roads analysis as described here is primarily a stand-alone procedure, but the conceptual framework and resources for analysis may be readily integrated into any analytical process in which the roads are examined.
A six-step process is described in detail. By completing roads analysis, national forests will generate maps and narratives that display and describe management opportunities for changing current road systems to better address future needs, budgets, and environmental concerns. A report from each analysis will provide details of potential changes and other information relevant to managing National forest programs and projects.-