Resource road engineering publications and permits
Last updated: March 7, 2023
On this page:
- Ministry of Forests Engineering Manual
- Ministry of Forests bridge guidelines, standards and specifications
- Road permit transition
- Right-of-way access
- Cattleguards
- Forest Service Road closure gates
- FPInnovations
Technical personnel who carry out operations on natural resource roads should have knowledge of the various road administration, construction and usage standards that apply in British Columbia.
Information, manuals, permits and other important publications are provided here.
Ministry of Forests Engineering Manual
Find information related to the administration, design, construction, maintenance and deactivation of forest resource roads, and Forest Service roads and bridges funded by the B.C. government.
Ministry of Forests Bridge Guidelines, Standards and Specifications
Bridge Guidelines, Standards and Specs
Retaining walls
- Two High Segmental Concrete Block Retaining Wall - November 2021
Road permit transition
The Forestry Revitalization Act reduced harvesting rights of the major licensees in timber supply areas and tree farm licences. When a licencee is exiting an area, timber reallocation makes most of the roads under that licensee's road permits surplus. Guidelines have been provided for planning and implementing road permit transition in timber reallocation areas.
- Road Permit Transition within Timber Reallocation Areas (PDF, 203KB)
- Roads Tracking Spreadsheet – Timber Reallocation (XLS, 38KB)
- Structures Tracking Spreadsheet – Timber Reallocation (XLS, 43KB)
Recommended business processes should be followed in the Forest Tenure Administration (FTA) system for:
- Converting a road permit section to an Forest Service Road branch
- Retiring a road permit section
- Transferring road permit section obligations to another industrial user
Flowcharts show the administrative procedure in the FTA system for ending or amending road permits under timber allocation:
Right-of-way access
While most Forest Service Roads (FSR) do not impact private land, there are situations where a road must cross private property. When this occurs, the B.C. Government establishes a FSR right-of-way. A right-of-way is a strip of land on which a FSR exists or will be constructed to provide access for approved logging operations.
Clean energy projects, including independent power producer (IPP) projects, may be proposed within or adjacent to an existing forest road right-of-way.
Cattleguards
Cattleguards are barriers used to prevent domestic animals and some wildlife from passing along roads, while allowing the passage of vehicles and pedestrians. Cattleguards on B.C.'s natural resource roads are typically made of steel.
- Cattleguard Requirements and Specifications (DOCX, 48KB)
- Standard Cattleguard Drawings (PDF, 1.8MB)
- Installation Guidelines for Cattleguards with Ground Sills, Dec 2019 (PDF, 791KB)
Forest Service Road closure gates
The ministry’s standard road closure gate drawings are new. Feedback on the fabrication, installation, and performance aspects of the gates can be submitted to the following email address for the ministry’s consideration: FLNREng.Branch@gov.bc.ca
- Standard Road Closure Gate Drawings FULL SET STD-G-010 (PDF, 981KB)
- Guidance for Ordering Road Closure Gates (PDF, 226KB)
- Gate Material Requisition Template (DOCX, 66.8KB)
FPInnovations
FPInnovations is a not-for-profit scientific research organization that specializes in the creation of solutions in support of the Canadian forest sector’s global competitiveness. They provide research work through agreements with the BC Government. Following are some of the reports that they have provided for B.C. resource roads:
- Traffic Engineering Webinar (November 2018) (PDF, 3.5MB)
- Standardizing the Design of Approach Alignment to Bridges (2015) (PDF, 3.1MB)
- Field Validation of Standardized Bridge Approach Curves (2016) (PDF, 1.9MB)
- Understanding the relationship between heavy vehicle weights and dimensions and resource road safety (2011) (PDF, 1.3MB)
- Evaluation of Aerial LiDAR Surveys for Resource Road Engineering (2015) (PDF, 2.9MB)
Wildfire
- Bridges & Wildfire Events - Identifying Information Gaps in Bridge Protection in the Context of Resistance to Wildland Fire Events, March 2020 (PDF, 481KB)
- Wildfire Risks to Resource Roads in British Columbia, Oct. 2022 (PDF, 1.3MB)
- Wildfire Adaptations for Resource Roads in British Columbia, Nov. 2022 (PDF, 406KB)
Fish passage
- Fish Passage Assessment at Culverted Sites: Rapid Field Measurements to Determine the Likelihood of a Barrier to Fish Passage (PDF, 2.1MB)
- Stream Simulation: Planning and Design for Closed-Bottom Structures for Fish Streams (PDF, 3.1MB)
- Streambed Simulation: Fish Management, Water Control, and Culvert Installation for Closed-bottom Stream Crossings (PDF, 559KB)
- Streambed Simulation: Streambed Construction, Infill Methods, and Rewatering for Closed-Bottom Stream Crossings (PDF, 573KB)
- Streambed Simulation: Monitoring and Maintaining a Fish-Friendly Culvert Crossing (PDF, 2.9MB)