Policy 25 - Standard Operating Procedures for Forest Service Roads

Effective Date: 15-May-01
Responsible Branch: Resource Tenures and Engineering Branch

Resource Management Volume Table of Contents | Amendment Log

Scope

This policy describes the general contents of standard operating procedures for Forest Service roads, the requirement to prepare such procedures, and the requirement to adhere to those procedures.

Policy

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for Forest Service roads shall describe mandatory and recommended practices for the following operational areas

• Administrative procedures related to ministry works projects, road administration and use
• Field and office practices related to road layout and design, construction, maintenance and deactivation, including all associated structures.

Development of SOP's

Resource Tenures and Engineering Branch shall prepare and maintain a set of SOP's for Forest Service roads. Any new or revised procedures shall be subject to internal review and comment provincially prior to implementation.

Adherence to SOP's

All district offices and, where applicable, regional offices shall carry out their operations related to Forest Service roads in accordance with the Mandatory Requirements of the SOP's, and shall consider the appropriateness of implementing the Recommended Practices of the SOP's on a project by project basis. The SOP's shall apply to all Forest Service roads (except inspection and maintenance of those roads for which the ministry has delegated such responsibilities to a road use permit holder), whether administered as part of the Small Business Forest Enterprise Program (SBFEP) or as part of ministry operations.

Small Business Forest Enterprise Program Environmental Monitoring System

The SOP's and the Environmental Monitoring System (EMS) for roads developed for the SBFEP certification process must be consistent in their coverage of the same items. Changes to one set of procedures must be reflected in the other set of procedures before implementing the changes.

Monitoring for Conformance

As part of the Ministry's Quality Assurance Program, regional staff shall monitor district operations for conformance with the SOP's, and Resource Tenures and Engineering Branch shall monitor region and district operations for conformance with the SOP's. Reports on the results of such monitoring shall be forwarded to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, for review and follow-up.