Temporal analysis of the traffic loads on forest road networks

The management of forest road networks is usually influenced by the traffic generated by wood transportation. In order to analyze the distribution and intensity of traffic generated by wood transportation in an Alpine region, the study considered a 21-year period with a total of 2 231 logging operations on a forest road network in a mountainous area. Most of the forest road network was affected by traffic load intensities generally of less than 500 t per year. The distribution of the traffic load over time and the characteristics of the road network inferred that the traffic load could assume different intensities and distributions over the years because of different locations and intensities of the logging operations. A GIS-based approach makes it possible to identify the forest road segments with high traffic loads in support of decisions on road network planning and management priorities.