South African Forest Road Handbook - icfr.ukzn.ac.za

1 South AfricanForest RoadHandbookSouth AfricanForest RoadHandbook1 Forest Road Handbook Table of ContentsDisclaimerAcknowledgementsChapte r 1 )Aims and )Layout of )International )Environmental ConsiderationsChapter 2 Road ) ) Planning Optimum Forest Road ) Optimizing the Road Network ) Road ) Network ) Recommendations for the Layout of a Road ) Road ) Forest Road ) ) References and Further ReadingChapter 3 Design ) Road ) ) Forest Road Design ) Establishment of Management ) Preliminary Route ) Field Verification and Route ) Preliminary Survey or Direct ) Office ) Road Cross ) Horizontal ) Vertical ) Sight Distance and Safe Stopping ) Curve ) Cut and Fill Slope ) Construction ) References and Further ) pavement ) ) pavement ) Recommended Approach to pavement ) Detail ) Subgrade ) pavement ) Traffic-Induced ) Materials ) Particle Size ) Oversize ) ) ) ) Analysis of ) First Level ) Plasticity and ) ) ) Reporting of Testing ) Mechanical ) Mechanical ) ) ) ) Chemical Improvement Fines ) References and Further ) Drainage ) ) Surface ) Side ) Mitre ) Cross ) Raised ) Water ) Catch ) Subsurface ) Stream Crossing Design ) ) Types of ) Culvert ) Culvert ) ) ) Bridge engineering for Forest ) Steel ) Concrete ) Wooden ) Railway Wagon ) Bridge ) Recommended Approach to Drainage ) Talbot s Formula ) References and Further ReadingChapter 4 Operation ) Gravel Source ) ) Statutory )

2 The Geology of South African Forestry ) Issues Specific to Road Construction ) Material ) Depth of ) ) Road Construction ) Methodology for Materials ) Sources of ) Interviews with Experienced Staff and Local ) ) Construction ) Gravel ) ) Landforms of Rock ) Landforms of Sand ) Botanical ) Animal ) The Desktop ) Interpretation of Maps and ) Topographic ) Geologic ) Aerial ) Desktop Study ) Reconnaissance ) Reconnaissance Survey ) Detailed Field ) Survey ) Estimating Material ) Laboratory ) Field Testing of Gravel ) Site Investigation ) References and Further ) Road Construction and ) ) Approach to ) Forest Road Construction ) engineering and ) Right-of-Way Felling and ) Clearing and ) Clearing and Grubbing ) Subgrade ) Subgrade Construction ) Culvert ) Culvert Installation ) Side Drain Construction ) Surface ) Surface Preparation ) Slope ) Water ) ) ) Slope ) References and Further ) Landing Design and ) ) Types of ) Centralised ) Continuous Roadside ) Landing ) Terrain ) Landing ) Landing ) References and Further ) ) ) Maintenance ) Defects Found on Unsealed ) Gravel Quantity/Layer ) Gravel ) Road Cross ) Drainage from the ) Ride ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Loose ) ) Slipperiness and Skid ) ) Roadside ) Roadside ) Cut and Fill ) Drainage ) Need for New ) Maintenance of the ) Maintenance of Side and Mitre ) ) Surface ) Grader ) Light ) Heavy ) General Grading ) ) Sand )

3 Spot ) ) Reworking and ) Road ) Prioritization of Road ) Road Closure ) References and Further ) ) ) Surfacing ) ) Surfacing ) Spreading and ) pavement ) Final Finish and ) Mechanical ) Stone Removal at ) Stone Removal on the ) Grid ) Stone Crushing at ) Stone Crushing on the ) ) References and Further ) Construction ) ) ) Types of Construction Plant Used in Forest Road ) ) Hydraulic ) TLB (Tractor-Loader-Backhoe) ) Front End ) Haulage or Cartage ) Motor ) ) Water ) Pneumatic Rock ) Other Specialized Road Construction ) References and Further ReadingChapter 5 Road ) Road ) ) Personnel Involved in Forest Road ) Forest Road ) Road Signage and Route ) References and Further ) Contracts and ) ) ) The Construction ) Contract ) Lump Sum ) Measurement ) Bill of ) Schedule of ) Cost Reimbursable ) Cost Plus ) The Tender ) The Tender ) Cover Sheet (White) ) Tender Notice (White) ) Tender Rules (Pink) ) Special Conditions of Contract (Pink) ) Project Specifications (Pink) ) Bill of Quantities (Yellow) ) Schedule of Rates (Yellow) ) Certificate of Tenderer s Visit to the Site Meeting(Inspection) (Yellow) ) Schedule of Construction Equipment (Yellow) ) Schedule of Work Carried Out by Tenderer (Yellow) )Insurances (Yellow) ) Form of Agreement (Yellow) ) Example of a Measurement ) Example of Summary of )

4 Discussion on Payment CertificateAppendicesAppendix 1 GlossaryAppendix 2 List of EquationsAppendix 3 Culvert Design for Fish PassageAppendix 4 pavement Design SupplementAppendix 5 ChecklistsAppendix 6 Soil and Gravel Testing MethodsIndex7 AcknowledgementsThe South African Roads Handbook is the result of a project initiated by the Steering Commit-tee of the Forest engineering Programme (formerly Forest engineering South Africa). Thisinitiative formed part of the Value-chain Improvement Programme (VIP), a series of projectslaunched in the Forestry Industry under the auspices of Forestry engineering South Africa(FESA). The VIP was made possible through generous funding by the Department of Tradeand Industries (DTI) Sector Partnership Fund (SPF), which covered two thirds of the cost ofthis project, thus levering the contribution of the following members:Mondi Business PaperCentral Timber Co-operative LtdNCT Forestry Co-operative LtdTWK Agriculture LtdForest ServicesSiyaQhubeka ForestsSteenekamp VervoerMasonite (Africa) LtdBirkenstock TransportMarathon ExpressThe following people were involved with the development of the Handbook :Project Manager:Michal Brink (SGS)Compiler:Joel Slate (Slate and Associates)Project Team.

5 Pierre Ackerman (University of Stellenbosch)Richard Cornell (Komatiland Forests)Pieter de Wet (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University)Phillip HarringtonDave Jones (CSIR)Benno Krieg (Komatiland Forests)Dennis Lawrie (Global Forest Products)Francois Oberholzer (ICFR)Mark TimmermanBrad Shuttleworth (Productivity Management Services)This publication has been through a peer-review process:Edited by:Sally Upfold (ICFR)89 Chapter 1 Aims and Objectives of the HandbookThe objective of this Handbook is to compile all of the information needed to effectively planand carry out Forest road construction and maintenance operations in one location. Manyhandbooks exist on Forest road construction and maintenance, but none have been written forthe South African Forest industry.

6 A wide-ranging group of experts was brought together todetermine the content and layout of this roads provide required access for management of Forest resources. Timber harvest-ing, fire protection, recreation, and administrative activities are highly dependent on accessthrough a good Forest road replacement value of the South African Forest road network is conservatively estimatedto be R900 million. It is also estimated that the industry collectively spends R45 million perannum on road maintenance and upgrading. The South African Forest road network density isestimated to range from 55m/ha to as high as 150 roads are viewed as an asset to the Forest , they are also a source of erosion andsediment input to dams, lakes, rivers, and other waterways.

7 These effects negatively impactaquatic and terrestrial wildlife, and present a negative public image of Forest , Forest roads remove valuable forestland from active production. A well-plannedroad network minimises the amount of roads built by optimising road location and spacing,reducing construction and maintenance costs, while ensuring maximum productivity of theforest Handbook provides state-of-the-art information on planning, managing, and constructingforest roads. In the current regulatory and social climate, a well-planned, -constructed and-maintained Forest road network is critical to economically and environmentally sustainableforestry this Handbook , careful attention is paid to minimising environmental impacts,while maximising efficiency and usability of the transportation network.

8 Another factor, whichmust never be overlooked, is safety. Every operator is responsible for complying with all safetyregulations on every Layout of the Handbook and how to use itThe Handbook is divided into five chapters, each covering a specific topic related to Forest roadmanagement. Each chapter contains sections on the various sub-topics. The reader simplylooks up the topic in the table of contents and turns to that section. All of the information likelyto be needed will be found there, along with a list of additional references, should moreinformation be compilers of this Handbook hope that the engineers and foresters who use it will beable to do a more efficient, more effective, and therefore a better job of planning and execut-ing Forest road information contained in this Handbook is not to be interpreted as legally requiredmethods or procedures.

9 This Handbook is to be used for guidance, in conjunction with engi-neering methods to achieve a desired outcome. There are many methods to achieve engineer-ing solutions. If you have any concerns about your abilities to properly achieve a solution, it isstrongly recommended that you consult a qualified, registered International TrendsThe international community is driving Forest management towards new levels of sustainabilityand transparency. Forest certification programs such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) andInternational Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) are being demanded by consumers toensure that timber products are being sourced from sustainably-managed forests. South Africahas been at the forefront of sustainable plantation forestry, however, South African forestroads have not always been constructed or managed to world-class standards.

10 The followingtrends will shape Forest road management in the future: Forest roads and the associated environmental impacts will become increasingly importantin the total Forest management strategy. Road networks should be established that minimise the amount of road length and density,while optimising harvest and transportation systems. Implementation of reduced-impact construction techniques, including the use of equip-ment and methods that minimise environmental impact and the risk of sedimentation andmass soil movement. The impacts of Forest roads on aquatic life should be considered. Where necessary, streamcrossing structures that permit unhindered two-way fish passage should be constructed. The impacts of Forest roads on local and indigenous communities will factor into manage-ment strategies.