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Legacy Roads Monitoring Project

The US Forest Service has been engaged in an extensive program of road improvement efforts called The Legacy Roads Project since 2008.  The goals of this effort are to reduce the hydrologic and geomorphic impacts of the existing Forest Service road network on critical watersheds and aquatic resources by decommissioning and upgrading forest roads.  The Legacy Roads Monitoring Project is a regional effort to examine the effectiveness of the road decommissioning, storm damage risk reduction (SDRR) and road storage projects.

The effectiveness of road decommissioning treatment was measured using a before-after-control impact design (BACI).  We are using GRAIP model outputs and associated field observations as indicators of the state of risk.

A sample of 4 miles of road segments is selected for both treated and control sites. The untreated control sites are selected based on their proximity and similarity to treated sites with respect to road construction methods, maintenance levels, geology, and geomorphic setting.   Each study site is inventoried before a road treatment occurs, after treatments and, after a 7 year recurrence interval storm event.  Control sites are inventoried before treatment and after a 7 year storm event. 

Legacy Roads Monitoring Project Update - 2012