By Cliff Caudill
Product Marketing Manager
John Deere
You probably know that there are a couple of reality shows on TV about logging. If you have seen the shows, then you probably remember chuckling (or sympathizing) during episodes where a trucker—usually a rookie—gets a full load bogged down in a poorly maintained section of logging road. Of course, this is followed by many bleeped-out profanities.
But rookie or not, anyone who has worked in the woods knows how important a properly maintained logging road is, or how life-threatening a poorly maintained one can be. Ignoring road maintenance means you are heading down a path that will require road reconstruction. Here is something to ponder: An estimate of typical costs (not site specific) for road grading is approximately $300 to $2,500 per mile, while clearing an area for a new road can cost upwards of $4,000 to $7,000 per mile. By following a proper road maintenance regime you can conserve cash flow and minimize damage to local water and soil resources.
Your first step is to get a detailed maintenance plan in place. Know your land and road systems. Get out a topographical map of your property or aerial photos, if possible. Ask yourself: How many miles of road do I currently manage? Where are the culverts, bridges, streams and steeper terrain? Have an employee drive around the property to assess trouble areas, i.e., places susceptible to slump, or places where water drainage has obviously had an impact. This type of assessment could be done on a monthly basis to ensure action is taken before the problem becomes an expensive one. If possible, you should inspect roads and culverts around current cutting operations more frequently. Sometimes the maintenance is as simple as getting out a shovel and clearing a blocked culvert and other times the required action may be to bring in a motor grader.
Once you have finished assessing your road systems, take your second step by creating a simple spreadsheet (see example) which details routes and actions required. Obviously the weather can affect your logging roads. Rain is a big threat to road maintenance, especially if you are already dealing with high water tables. If you have to shut down operations during severe rainfall, you can avoid more downtime by outfitting trucks and harvesting equipment with tires that aid in traction and flotation.
On the opposite end of the weather scale is dust control. Maintenance issues with dust rise during the summer months as things begin to heat up. Anyone who has driven down a twisting logging road in the summer heat knows how visibility can be hampered when you are in the middle of log hauling. Believe it or not, all those little particles of dust are your road eroding into the air, therefore, more ruts, and more grading and more money out of your pocket.
Using calcium chloride for dust control has been an expense that is justified in the long run. Some studies*have shown that by using calcium chloride grading decreased by 50%. If calcium chloride is used on a yearly basis, it has been shown that it seeps into the road soil over time, therefore making the road more compact and stable. With proper planning and maintenance, logging roads can be managed. You’ll reduce rutting and damage to roads and minimize or eliminate downtime where. SLT
*“The Incorporation of Dust Palliatives as a Maintenance Option in Unsealed Road Management Systems.” D. Jones, E. Sadzik, and I. Wolmarans; Paper from 20th ARRB Conference, 19-21 March 2001