Preliminary spatial analysis for essential forest technical works using digital terrain models

Abstract

Forest roads are necessary to provide access to the forest for general management, maintenance, timber extraction and recreation. Forest roads is a costly investment made by the forest owner and the proper design and planning will reduce its maintenance cost. Following economic and environmental considerations, the designer will prepare tentative or provisional road location lines on a map which he will then inspect on the ground. The designer may have to amend the route before a final selection of the chosen location. Except for the road location line, the designer will consider and propose the construction of forest technical work along the road. Usually, the technical works are proposed after the inspection of the ground or after the construction of the forest road, in this study and with the use spatial analysis of high accuracy DEM we find the slopes that need to be stabilized with a retaining wall in a forest road network that is used already. With this methodology, the forest manager can analyse the needs for forest technical works like a retaining wall of all the forest network and after he can go for ground inspection to the specific areas. The forest manager can alter the spatial criteria from the office and run different scenarios with knowing the locations that will need slope stabilization with a retaining wall. With this preliminary spatial analysis, the forest manager will be more accurate to the economic cost of each forest road maintenance without a costly field survey of all the forest network.