Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | Hudson, R. 2006. Road construction and hauling in basaltic and granitic terrain: effects on sediment yield at Russell and Catherine Creeks, Tsitika River Watershed. Forest Research Extension Note EN-021, Coast Forest Region. |
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| Organization | FLNRO |
| URL | https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/rco/research/hydroreports/en021.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | The effects of forest roads on sediment production have been well documented in the literature. Studies have looked at various aspects of roads as sediment sources, including the effects of vehicular traffic on running surfaces (Reid and Dunne, 1984, Coker et al., 1993, Nistor and Rood, 1999), the role of cut and fill slopes on sediment budgets (Hudson, 2001b), and the role of road deactivation and the effects of road construction on sediment budgets (Beschta, 1978, Anderson and Potts, 1988, Megahan et al., 1986). What has not been well documented is the effect of building roads on basaltic terrain and hauling timber on those roads immediately following construction. An analysis of sediment production and transport characteristics of basaltic and granitic terrain in Russell and Catherine Creeks revealed that, in the fall of 1997, newly constructed road used to access timber in Catherine Creek resulted in an order of magnitude increase in sediment yield that was closely related to timber hauling (Hudson, 2001c). A similar effect was observed at Russell Creek in the fall of 2004, when an impending change in land tenure led to an increased rate of cut to allow completion of the forest licensee’s five-year development plan. |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Vancouver Island North |
| Sub-watershed if known | Russell Creek, Catherine Creek |
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