Forest Roads

Research, educational activities, and intensive forest management all require a safe and efficient road system. The Center has 27.6 miles of roads that traverse its interior and border its perimeter (Figure 6). Maintenance of about half these miles (17.4) is the responsibility of the Center. Road priorities for the current planning period include:

  • maintain the existing road system at a safe level of operation,
  • continue access control,
  • improve internal traffic routes within gated areas,
  • minimize forest access points along public roads.

Figure 6: Roadwork Plan
Click here for a printable version of Figure 6
Click here for a printable version of Figure 6

Priority 1 - Maintenance and Safety

Each year the Center tends to experience increased use of its roads by researchers, students, and groups participating in educational activities. Maintaining the existing road system at a safe level of operation will be a high priority during the next ten years.

Approximately 40 cubic yards of surface material is required annually to spot fill washouts and repair damaged road surface areas. Approximately 16 hours of grading is required annually to maintain good road surfaces. It is anticipated that this level of maintenance will continue through the next ten year period.

Maximizing visibility of access control gates is essential for safety reasons. Every gate will have grass mowed and brush removed from around it annually. All gates will be repainted every five years with high visibility safety paint, accompanied by a re-application of safety reflector tape. No Parking signs will be posted at every gate to discourage people from parking vehicles in locations that block access to the forest.

Most of the interior road intersections that had short radius curves or blind corners have been improved. Most of the improvements were accomplished by logging contractors needing to get wood from interior timber sales out of the forest. The same holds true for areas where roads needed to be widened on the forest. At present most of the Center's interior roads are suitable for logging truck and tour bus accessibility.

Priority 2 - Access Control

Access control to forest roads began in 1981 and will continue through the duration of this plan. Access control is desired for the following reasons:

  • increased forest road travel safety for researchers and center staff,
  • increased protection of research equipment, research plots, and plot markers,
  • decreased road maintenance and reconstruction costs,
  • decreased dumping of garbage and debris on the forest interior.

Organizations that have access to forest roads for emergency purposes are Cloquet DNR Forestry, Cloquet DNR Law Enforcement, and the Cloquet Police and Fire Departments.

Priority 3 - New Roads and Improving Internal Traffic Routes

Access control has been of overall benefit to the Center and the forest road program. However, using gates to control access also hinders travel to various parts of the forest. This hindrance raises concerns about forest protection and management efficiency. Improving connections among roads within the gated forest would address these concerns. One new road segment was established in 2000 (Figure 6). This segment will continue to be improved.

Three additional segments are proposed as construction resources become available. One is a 0.3 mile segment (Figure 6 , AA@) located in Section 36. This segment was recommended in the last plan and is still needed. This segment would connect the lower section of the Bog Road (See Appendix B for road names and locations) to the lower section of the Sawyer Road. The second is a 0.2 mile segment, identified as location AB@ in Figure 6. Construction of this segment would allow direct access from the Koch Road in the northeast quarter of Section 29 to the Railroad Grade road in the southeast quarter of section 29. This would reduce travel distance from about 1.5 miles to 0.25 mile. A third segment (location AC@ in Figure 6), about 0.1 mile long, is needed to connect the Tower Road with the Pine Grove Road.

Construction standards for segments "A" and "B" are equal to main haul road standards *. Segment "C" crosses an open field and no additional work is required to make it useable.

Construction costs are estimated to be about $2000 per 1/10 mile for the new road sections. If the timing is appropriate, they will be constructed to accommodate harvesting activities in nearby stands. If the need to improve access and efficiency is too important to wait for a harvesting operation, other funds will be used to construct the roads.

Priority 4 - Minimizing Forest Access Points

As part of the measures taken to protect resources within the forest, the number of access points from the perimeter of the forest to its interior will be reduced. Selected unutilized access points (Figure 6) will be allowed to grow over and form natural barriers. Road segments originating from the abandoned entry points will be deleted from the forest road map.

 

* Haul road standards require a cleared width of 32 feet, a dozed wheel surface of 20 feet, minimum ditch depth of 2 feet, minimum gravel depth of 1 foot, a graveled wheel surface 16 feet wide, a minimum culvert length of 25 feet, and a minimum culvert diameter of 1 foot.