Infrastructure

Roads Activity Area Expectations: (Environmental Maintenance Projects on Non-status Forest Roads)

A non-status forest road is an existing road on Crown land that is not being used under any authorization by a government agency. On non-status roads, there is no formal or informal user-maintain funding arrangement to cover the costs of regular road maintenance activities. Neither government nor recipients have legal obligations to undertake environmental maintenance projects (described below) on non-status roads at their own expense.

The primary objective of environmental maintenance projects on non-status roads is to mitigate environmental hazards that originate from shortage or absence of regular road maintenance, while allowing safe motor vehicle access where it will not adversely affect the environment and where it can be accommodated without additional expenditure. (This motor vehicle access is not guaranteed.) Environmental hazards are occurrences, or potential occurrences, having the potential to adversely affect environmental values (i.e., forest resources), private and public property, and other social and economic values. These occurrences may include:

• landslides
• road and culvert washouts
• uncontrolled road drainage
• uncontrolled soil erosion and sediment transport

Environmental maintenance projects consist of planned environmental maintenance activities on eligible non-status roads. The scope of these activities is intended to be consistent with a "Wilderness Road" standard of road maintenance under the Forest Practices Code, but may also include other activities as necessary to ensure protection of private and public property, and other social and economic values. Generally, environmental maintenance activities include inspection and repair of roads to ensure a functional drainage system, a stable road prism, and control of sediment transport from the road prism. Environmental maintenance activities could be carried out along the full length of a road, but usually they are confined to road segments or point locations to address site specific environmental hazards as they occur.

FIA funding will usually be restricted to: access management planning and prioritizing environmental maintenance projects based on a risk assessment process; development of an environmental maintenance project plan (i.e., road inspection and maintenance report, design, or prescriptions); major works; and follow-up inspections if necessary.

Although providing for safe fish passage at fish stream crossings is considered a road maintenance activity, this particular activity is only eligible for FIA funding under the "Restoration and Rehabilitation" component (Aquatic Activity Area) of the Land Base Investment Program.

Consider the alternative option of road deactivation where there are many environmental hazards along a road, and particularly where the road segments traverse areas having a moderate to high probability of a hazardous landslide occurring and affecting values at risk. Road deactivation on non-status forest roads is eligible for funding under the "Restoration and Rehabilitation" component (Terrestrial Activity Area) of the Land Base Investment Program.