Policy.
*(1) A well designed, located, constructed, and maintained system of forest roads is essential to forest management and protection of the public resources. Riparian areas contain some of the more productive conditions for growing timber, are heavily used by wildlife and provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife and essential functions in the protection of water quality. Wetland areas serve several significant functions in addition to timber production: Providing fish and wildlife habitat, protecting water quality, moderating and preserving water quantity. Wetlands may also contain unique or rare ecological systems.
*(2) To protect water quality and riparian habitat, roads must be constructed and maintained in a manner that will prevent potential or actual damage to public resources. This will be accomplished by constructing and maintaining roads so as not to result in the delivery of sediment and surface water to any typed water in amounts, at times or by means, that preclude achieving desired fish habitat and water quality by:
• Providing for fish passage at all life stages;
• Preventing mass wasting;
• Limiting delivery of sediment and surface runoff to all typed waters;
• Avoiding capture and redirection of surface or groundwater. This includes retaining streams in their natural drainages and routing subsurface flow captured by roads and road ditches back onto the forest floor;
• Diverting most road runoff to the forest floor;
• Designing water crossing structures to the 100-year flood level to provide for the passage of bedload and some woody debris;
• Protecting stream bank stability, the existing stream channel, and riparian vegetation;
• Minimizing the construction of new roads;
• Assuring no-net-loss of wetland function; and
• Assuring no-net-loss of fish habitat.
The rules for road construction and maintenance and forest practices hydraulic projects must be applied in achieving these goals. Additional guidance is identified in board manual sections 3 and 5. If these goals are not achieved using the rules and the applied guidance, additional management strategies must be employed.
*(3) Extra protection is required during road construction and maintenance and for forest practices hydraulic projects to protect public resources and timber growing potential. Landowners and fisheries and wildlife managers are encouraged to cooperate in the development of road management and abandonment plans. Landowners are further encouraged to cooperate in sharing roads to minimize road mileage and avoid duplicative road construction.
*(4) This section covers the location, design, construction, maintenance and abandonment of forest roads, bridges, stream crossings, quarries, borrow pits, and disposal sites used for forest road construction and is intended to assist landowners in proper road planning, construction and maintenance so as to protect public resources.
(Note: | Other laws and rules and/or permit requirements may apply. See chapter 222-50 WAC.) |
[Statutory Authority: RCW
76.09.040(3). WSR 13-21-032, § 222-24-010, filed 10/8/13, effective 12/30/13. Statutory Authority: RCW
76.09.040. WSR 06-11-112, § 222-24-010, filed 5/18/06, effective 6/18/06; WSR 05-12-119, § 222-24-010, filed 5/31/05, effective 7/1/05. Statutory Authority: Chapter
34.05 RCW, RCW
76.09.040, [76.09.]050, [76.09.]370,
76.13.120(9). WSR 01-12-042, § 222-24-010, filed 5/30/01, effective 7/1/01. Statutory Authority: RCW
76.09.040,
76.09.170 and chapter
34.05 RCW. WSR 94-01-134, § 222-24-010, filed 12/20/93, effective 1/1/94. Statutory Authority: RCW
76.09.040,
76.09.050 and chapter
34.05 RCW. WSR 92-15-011, § 222-24-010, filed 7/2/92, effective 8/2/92. Statutory Authority: RCW
76.09.040. WSR 87-23-036 (Order 535), § 222-24-010, filed 11/16/87, effective 1/1/88. Statutory Authority: RCW
76.09.040 and
76.09.050. WSR 82-16-077 (Resolution No. 82-1), § 222-24-010, filed 8/3/82, effective 10/1/82; Order 263, § 222-24-010, filed 6/16/76.]
