Features and Performance of Forest Fire Access Roads and Fire Department Connections as Assessed by Employees of the Polish State Fire Service

Krysztofiak‐Kaniewska

et al. 2020

Forests

Self Cite

The forest cover in Poland reaches almost 30% of the country’s area. Polish forests are characterized by high biodiversity. Unfortunately, in recent years, the forests of Central Europe have been affected by climate change problems, in particular meteorological drought. In Poland, even those stands which consist of species that were widely recognized as drought tolerant and easily adaptable to environmental changes are beginning to die. The article presents engineering methods applicable to forest environment protection, largely developed at the University of Life Sciences in Poznań and implemented by the State Forests—National Forest Holding in Poland, to minimize the effects of drought. Among the issues raised are ways to protect forests against fires, modern technologies for fire road surface construction and small-scale water retention in forests. A comprehensive solution to problems related to progressive drought is a must. Scientists and foresters are observing the dying of large areas of stands and, at the same time, intensification of wildlife migration due to the search for new habitats as a consequence of the drought. Therefore, the issue of building animal crossings during the current dynamic expansion of the road network in Poland has also been presented in the paper. Another subject pointed to in the text is forest tourism. Forests provide opportunities for recreation and rest to society. However, the increasing tourist pressure in some regions may cause adverse environmental effects. Finally, the paper shows some examples of supporting forest environment protection using remote sensing techniques. Generally, the aim of the paper is to present experiences and comprehensive solutions implemented in Poland.

Section: Forest Fire Protectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Changes in the parameters of bearing capacity of forest road surfaces due to heavy rainfall [84,86].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Engineering Methods of Forest Environment Protection against Meteorological Drought in Poland

Czerniak

Krysztofiak‐Kaniewska

et al. 2020

Forests

Self Cite

“…Other natural aggregates such as gravels, all-in aggregates (hoggins) and sands are also commonly used. Certified substitutes for natural aggregates from recycled bricks or concrete are increasingly used for road surface design (Grajewski 2019). At the same time, designers are increasingly interested in using the undisputed advantages of modern planar and spatial geosynthetics such as woven geotextiles, biaxial or triaxial geogrids and geocells to reinforce forest roads (Ashmawy and Bourdeau 1996, Latha et al 2010, Hegde 2017.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the obvious inconveniences (see Section 2.1), the PLT remains the basic method for assessing the accuracy of road investments in Polish forests (Trzciński 2011, Grajewski 2019. It provides incontestable data on the condition of the studied area and the quality of execution of road works at relatively low cost.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, the results of such studies should lead to the establishment of a solid basis for the development of at least national standards for the use of LFWD. Forest road construction should be an area that requires special attention due to its specificity and usually weaker regulations than those foreseen for public road construction (Kaakkurivaara et al 2015, Grajewski 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Evaluation of Light Falling Weight Deflectometer for In Situ Measurement of Secondary Deformation Modulus of Various Forest Road Pavements

Croat. j. for. eng. (Online)

2023

Roads in forests are necessary for proper forest management and active protection of the natural environment. They facilitate tourism and recreation and have a very important function in firefighting. The cost of building roads in forest areas is considerable, even when relatively cheap materials such as aggregates of natural or anthropogenic origin are used. Therefore, any road investment must be well prepared and executed. Bearing capacity and compaction are among the most important and frequently used geotechnical parameters in road construction. The aim of this study was to determine the possibility of predicting the value of the secondary deformation modulus E2 (obtained from measurements with a static plate load test – PLT) based on measurements with a light falling weight deflectometer (LFWD) Zorn, type ZFG 3000 GPS with a drop weight of 10 kg. The regression analysis included 245 results of bearing capacity measurements carried out on 46 forest road sections with various road pavements. Different regression models were tested: linear, logarithmic, polynomial, exponential and power models, excluding polynomials of fourth and higher degree. Prediction of E2 (PLT) values from dynamic deformation modulus Evd (LFWD) values is possible. However, the reported unsatisfactory strength of the relationship between the two parameters is associated with a high risk of error (r=0.73, R2=0.54, Se=80.37 MN·m-2). Neither the use of more complex non-linear regression models nor the use of multiple regression by introducing an additional estimator in the form of the s/v ratio significantly improved the estimation results. The quality of the prediction of E2 values is not constant. It varies depending on the type of forest road pavements, the use of geosynthetic pavement reinforcements and the type of road subgrade. The study also found that the quality of E2 prediction can be improved by limiting the range of tested Evd values upwards. It is advisable to continue this type of research, as the results obtained could be the basis for developing national standards for the application of LFWD to control the bearing capacity and compaction of forest road surfaces in the future.

Bearing Capacity Standards for Forest Roads Constructed Using Various Technologies from Mechanically and Chemically Stabilised Aggregate

Czerniak

Croat. j. for. eng. (Online)

Kurowska

2021

Forest roads are essential for adequate forest management and environmental protection. They enable tourism and recreation activity, while at the same time playing a very important role in fire protection. When open to the local traffic, they significantly supplement the public traffic networks. Costs of constructing permanent roads in forested areas are considerable, because they need to have adequate bearing capacity. Forest roads are predominantly constructed using natural or anthropogenic aggregate stabilised mechanically and chemically. A tangible parameter verifying the proper construction of road structure is provided by its bearing capacity, i.e. the capacity of the pavement to carry loads generated by traffic without excessive strains hindering normal use of the pavement or reducing its durability. Some forest road networks are also constructed as temporary roads composed of cheaper aggregates. It seems reasonable to assume different bearing capacity standards for such roads than for permanent roads.The aim of the studies presented in this paper was to develop bearing capacity standards for forest roads constructed using various technologies. The adopted research hypothesis assumes that each of the analysed technologies is characterised by a different bearing capacity required during road construction inspections. An example of such a structure may be provided by the so-called geotextile mattress and crushed stone constructed on wetland soils. When developing the standards, the analyses included the predicted traffic intensity, assumed operation time before rehabilitation is required, soil conditions and the type of construction material.Bearing capacity of the testing road sections was assessed based on values of strain moduli calculated from the static plate load tests (VSS). As a result, bearing capacity standards were obtained for structures constructed using aggregates and chemical stabilisers as well as geotextiles potentially facilitating reduction of the layer thickness without deterioration of road durability.