Speaker
Description
In most wood supply areas, forest roads form vast infrastructure networks that structure socio-economic activities, territorial access, and ecosystem organization. In Québec, Canada, these roads now extend over 485,000 kilometers in public forests, demanding coordinated management by forestry industrials, recreation organizations, First Nations, and municipalities. Yet only twenty percent of these roads are maintained, and one-third are still used which leads to wide ecological changes and unregulated access. Despite the availability of numerous planning tools, their use remains limited in practice. Consequently, decisions on road development are still largely based on the experience and intuition of forest engineers. Similar dynamics are observed in many forested regions worldwide. The objective of the study is to develop a comprehensive management framework that enables practitioners to plan, prioritize, and optimize forest road networks over a medium-term planning horizon.
Two case study regions were selected to operationalize the management framework using CAROPER, a spatial and visual decision-tool based on a hexagonal grid. CAROPER aggregates forest resources data into indices and displays them using graduated color scales. While originally designed for strategic silvicultural planning, the framework was extended in two directions. First, social occupancy indices derived from land-use data were incorporated to assess the actual occupancy of the network. Second, road network orientation and connectivity were incorporated into the hexagonal analytical structure. Coupling spatial indices with network configuration enables the identification of priority levels for each road segment. This explicit network rationalization using the tool facilitates tactical decision-making regarding maintenance optimization, closure, repair or decommissioning.
The methodology follows an iterative sequence: (i) spatial analysis using the CAROPER framework, (ii) selection of road segments based on multi-use performance and connectivity, (iii) application of a conceptual allocation model inspired by Transaction Cost Theory to structure maintenance cost distribution among stakeholders, and (iv) consultations with stakeholder to validate feasibility and governance considerations. Preliminary results indicate that the network is not effective in addressing all uses across the territory and that connectivity indices significantly improve maintenance prioritization compared to volume-based approaches alone. Ultimately, the proposed method will serve as an integrative decision-making tool to help maximize the value of public forests for a variety of uses.
| Keywords | Forest-road-networks; Multi-use; Tactical-planning; Decision-making-tool |
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