Skid trail rehabilitation effects on soil properties and resulting forest productivity

Last updated on August 31, 2023

Project number: EP 1209.12

District: Rocky Mountain Forest District

Objectives

Evidence will be provided to support or modify Forest Practices Code requirements and guiding principles for harvest system selection and skid trail rehabilitation on representative soil properties in southeastern B.C. Specifically, this study is designed to:

Compare the effects of skid trail rehabilitation on selected soil properties with the properties of adjacent undisturbed soils
Compare the growth and nutrition of trees planted on rehabilitated skid trails with that of trees growing on undisturbed adjacent areas
Examine the effects of rehabilitation on sites that represent typical conditions that are of operational concern for skid trail rehabilitation
Examine the slope hydrology and stability implications of the rehabilitated sites selected
Provide extension at all phases of the project to guide operational practices

Treatment

Trees were measured and sampled on each of three skid road disturbances; inner track, midroad, and berm, and on the adjacent undisturbed area.

Layout

A total of ten sites have been established to date. Five of the ten are retrospective sites, and the other five are new installations
Two representative sections of skid road were randomly selected at each site
Measurements and sampling include incremental and total height, basal diameter, and foliage and soil sampling

History

1992 Crestbrook Forest Industries Ltd. planted two installations
1993 Crestbrook Forest Industries Ltd. planted three additional installations
1995 three retrospective sites established and sampled. Three installed sites sampled as above.
1996 two additional retrospective sites established and sampled.
1999 all sites scheduled for re-measurement

Publications

PanVideo Productions Ltd. 1997. Ministry of Forests - Skid Trail Rehabilitation Video

Dykstra, P.R. and M.P. Curran. 1999. Tree Growth on Rehabilitated Skid Roads in southeast British Columbia. Extension Note 046, Nelson Forest Region

Dykstra, P.R. and M.P. Curran. 2000. Tree growth on rehabilitated skid roads in southeast British Columbia. Forest Ecology and Management, 133:145-156

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