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Other than roads used by the Ministry's
Timber Sales Program, the Ministry, will no longer maintain Forest Service
Roads (FSRs) with Industrial Use and, with few exceptions, will no longer maintain
Forest Service roads for motor vehicle access where there is no industrial
use.
- The Ministry of Forests and Range will
continue to maintain Community Use Forest Service Roads until further notice (where there is an
industrial user, maintenance may be shared).
- Although management for forest recreation is
now under the jurisdiction of the
Ministry of
Tourism, the Ministry of Forests and Range will, subject to
available funding, maintain limited access to established Recreation
Sites and Trails.
- Where responsibility for Forest Service road
maintenance is not transferred or funded on a user-pay basis, those
roads will be maintained to the "Wilderness Road" standard, or deactivated.
- Roads may be temporarily closed where it would
be difficult to provide for a reasonable level of user safety (due to
the threat of landslides or bridge load restrictions).
- Roads may be permanently deactivated where:
- it becomes apparent that necessary repair
work on a closed road cannot be carried out;
- the road is located at the back end of a
drainage (with little or no current use and no potential for expansion
of access); or
- the cost of maintenance outweighs the cost of deactivation.
Policy Definitions:
Industrial Use Forest Service Roads are roads that are owned and operated by the
ministry, but maintenance is delegated to an industrial user.
Community Use Forest Service Roads are roads which access a year-round
residential area with its own Post Office, or either a school located within
it or school bus route to or from it. Populated reserves are included in this
definition. They do not
include roads that provide access to seasonal cabins, isolated residences,
commercial operations, parks, or recreation sites.
Community Use Forest Service Road maintenance standards
include user safety maintenance activities such as road surface maintenance
and sight line brushing as well those activities required for the protection
of the environment. User safety maintenance activities will be commensurate
with the types of vehicles and pattern of use.
Wilderness Forest Service Roads are roads that are not defined as public or
industrial use and where the responsibility for maintenance is not
transferred or funded on a user-pay basis. Provision
of access is not a ministry priority on wilderness roads.
Wilderness FSRs maintenance standards
include those activities required for the protection of the environment, activities do not include surface maintenance
or site line brushing. As such, only bridge repair and those maintenance
projects required to mitigate environmental
problems, like mass wasting or washouts, which may impact residential or
worker safety, improvements, or natural resources, will be carried out. Wilderness road maintenance activities will include
culvert and bridge removal, waterbars, partial or
full pullback of side slopes and cross ditches. Washouts or road slumps may
not be repaired.
For further information on these policies,
phone (604) 702-5700, fax (604) 702-5711
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