Site conditions related to erosion on logging roads

Abstract

Synopsis - Data collected from 299 road segments in northwestern California were used to develop and test a procedure for estimating and managing road-related erosion. Site conditions and the design of each segment were described by 30 variables. Equations developed using 149 of the road segments were tested on the other 150. The best multiple regression equation explained only 37% of the variance in the logarithm of road-related erosion. A discriminant analysis correctly classified 74% of the test data set. Road segments it predicted to be hazardous produced 82% of the measured erosion in the test data set. Analysis of the variables in the discriminant function indicates that the effect of terrain slope nearly overwhelms the effects of all other variables in determining the posterior probability of instability. Discriminate analysis also provides a means by which a forest manager can explore the expected effect that different strategies will have on erosion and on the resources spent on mitigation measures.

Citation

Rice, R. M.; McCashion, J. D. 1985. Site conditions related to erosion on logging roads. Proceedings International Symposium on Erosion, Debris Flow and Disaster Prevention, Tsukuba, Japan, 3-5 September 1985. Tsukuba, Japan: Erosion Control Engineering Society. p. 69-74.