November BMP Q&A

By: Chuck Coup, BMP Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service

Q:   The Blue Book mentions rutting on roads but not so much about rutting in the harvest area. Are there BMP guidelines for rutting that apply across the harvest area as well? What are the concerns for rutting in the harvest area and how would you evaluate a site if you were conducting a voluntary site evaluation?

A:   Great question, and one that could really use some clarification, especially as we move into the wet season!

Rutting is one of those situations where everybody loses. A skidder slogging through the mud certainly does not increase the efficiency of a logger’s operation, and landowners know that extensive rutting can lead to erosion and soil compaction, which can have a substantial impact on future tree growth. Rutting can also lead to environmental and water quality issues, especially if it occurs on steep slopes. 

Rutting generally results from the tires of vehicles such as skidders, log trucks, pickups, ATVs, etc., operating under wet conditions. Most of the rutting occurring in the harvest area (i.e., off the established roads) will be caused by skidder traffic and to a lesser degree the shear. The BMP guidelines do not specifically mention the shear, but it would be considered part of the skidding operation since it travels over essentially the same area.

So, are there guidelines that cover rutting in the harvest area? I think that question can be answered by mentioning one point; skidding operations occur on skid trails. Skid trails are defined as a route over which logs are moved to a landing or road. So if a skidder passes over an area, any rutting that it causes would be considered occurring on a skid trail, and therefore be addressed by BMPs for skid trails. Make sense?

Rutting on skid trails is covered under the recommended specifications for skid trails in Part II of the Blue Book. The guidelines recommend that when soils are saturated, skidding should be restricted to prevent excessive soil compaction and channelized erosion. The general rule of thumb for determining excessive rutting is no deeper than six inches for no more than 50 feet (or about two skidder lengths). That comes from number 18 under the recommended specifications for haul roads in your BMP Blue Book.  Certainly there are things you can do to minimize rutting during your operation.  Using high flotation tires, keeping skidder loads light, or shovel logging extremely wet sites are all possible options.

But, don’t get the impression that when we do a site evaluation we come with ruler and tape measure in hand ready to measure every rut we see. Remember that BMP guidelines are for reducing impacts to water quality. When determining if rutting is too extensive, there are several factors to consider. Look to see if the ruts will change the direction of water flow, or cause it to puddle the next time it rains. Soil type and slope are both very important factors to consider. Look to see if the ruts will in some way channel rainwater so that it may deliver sediment to a stream. If you notice these things happening, then it may be time to head to drier ground. Our evaluations take the entire site into consideration, so if it is obvious to us that you pulled off when you noticed rutting started to occur, our evaluation will certainly reflect that.

For more information on BMPs visit the Texas Forest Service webpage at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water, contact me at (936) 639-8180.

* This article was published in the November 2010 issue of the Texas Logger

May BMP Q&A

By: Shane Harrington, BMP Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service

Q:   I have been in the logging business for several years now and I pride myself in the fact that I try my best to follow BMP guidelines in all situations. Lately it seems that every time I set up on a tract it begins to rain and it stays wet for several days and possibly weeks. How can I deal with all of this wet weather?

A:   Are any of you logging out of a canoe yet? There has been a lot of rain here in East Texas the past couple of months. I am sure that many of you are feeling the effects of all the recent wet weather. There are three questions that are commonly asked about wet weather logging: can I log during wet conditions, what, if any, impacts can logging have when it’s too wet, and what can I do when it’s too wet to log?

Wet weather logging can have negative impacts if done improperly

Can you log during wet conditions? The answer to that question is yes but caution is needed and should be used during wet weather logging operations. There are several things that you need to pay close attention to if you are going to conduct a wet weather logging operation. Rutting is the biggest concern, it should be kept to a minimum and should not exceed 6 inches in depth for more than 50 feet in length. High flotation or dual tires may be used on skidders to help reduce rutting and soil compaction. You can also lay timber down in your skid rows to create a pole road, which will help minimize rutting. As always, attention should also be given to stream crossings. These structures should be properly installed and stabilized to help reduce the chance of it washing out during a rain event. Pages 47 – 51 of the BMP bluebook give recommendations on how to properly install stream crossings. Haul roads and skid trails are other areas that need to be examined. Maintaining these systems will help ensure that they do not become impassable either through washing or excessive rutting. Recommended specifications for properly maintaining your haul roads can be found on pages 30 – 33 of the BMP bluebook.

What, if any, impacts can logging have when it’s too wet? The biggest area of concern here would be rutting. As stated in the previous paragraph rutting should be kept to a minimum. Rutting is a primary concern because it can potentially change the hydrology and drainage of the land, cause heavy or excessive erosion through the channeling of water, and can cause soil compaction. Soil compaction will negatively impact site productivity reducing the landowner’s return on investment through decreased growing potential and increased site preparation costs. Another thing to be conscious of when logging on wet tracts is the amount of mud that you are depositing on the highways and county roads. Mud on the roadway may pose a danger to motorists in numerous ways. Motorists who suddenly approach mud in the roadway may try to avoid the mud, which could cause an accident. During a rain event mud can cause the roadway to become slick, whichcould result in a motorist losing traction and possibly causing an accident. To help reduce the amount of mud being deposited on the roadway some type of approach such as gravel should be put down to help clean off the tires before entering the roadway.

What can I do when it is too wet to log? This time can be used to start planning for future jobs and to take a look at past logging jobs that you have conducted. Before moving onto a tract, plan carefully by using a soil survey map, topographical map, and landowner advice to determine how rain events will affect your operation, A soil survey map is useful because it will tell you what type of soil you will be working on and what the limitations are of that particular soil type. You should try to avoid bottomland sites and sites with heavy clays until the summer months when it is traditionally dryer. Plan on operating on sandy soils during the wetter months. Use topographical maps to calculate the drainage areas for the site to ensure that you install stream crossings that are adequate enough to handle the water flow from an unexpected rain event. The landowner can tell you about areas of his land that may be potential problem sections that you should either avoid or use caution while operating in these areas. You can also use this time to go back and look at past tracts that you have harvested. Take a look at the BMPs that you implemented and see if they were constructed properly and functioning. This will let you know if you are doing good job at installing your BMPs or if you need to improve. Lastly use this time to inspect all of your equipment and get them serviced if needed.

As you can see wet weather logging can be achieved as long as you use appropriate caution and plan ahead. Keep in mind though that there are times that it is just too wet to log and this time is better used planning for future logging jobs, fishing, or hunting. Planning is very important when it comes to conducting harvest operations and installing BMPs. If you have any questions or comments regarding BMPs please feel free to call me at (936) 639-8180.

* This article was published in the May 2004 issue of the Texas Logger

January BMP Q&A

By: Hughes Simpson, BMP Forester, Texas Forest Service

Q:    A tract that I have been working on in Southeast Texas has started to get wet from all of the recent rains. I pulled my crew off when I noticed that my skidders were starting to cause some rutting. This is really frustrating knowing that I am almost finished with the job and that it will probably be site prepared this summer. What is the big deal about rutting anyway?

A:    First, I would like to commend you for moving off the job site when you noticed the rutting. It can be difficult and very tempting not to do this, especially when you only have a small piece left to finish. It is this kind of attitude that will allow Texas to maintain its high BMP implementation rates and keep the guidelines from becoming regulatory.

The major concern with rutting, as with any BMP guideline, is water quality protection. Ruts, especially on hillsides and slopes, can channel rainwater so that sediment will be delivered to streams. These ruts eventually turn into gullies, and become much harder to control. Also, if you are working in wetlands, it is important not to impede, restrict, or change natural water flows and drainages.

Other problems associated with rutting that are not directly related to water quality include site productivity and accessibility. Extensive rutting can lead to soil compaction, which can have a significant impact on future tree growth. Costly site preparation work must be done to correct this problem. In low-lying areas, rutting can cause water to pond. This is especially troublesome on roadways that receive heavy traffic.

As a general rule of thumb, rutting should not exceed a depth of six inches over a distance of more than 50 feet. This guideline is normally applied to haul roads and skid trails, but if this is occurring over the whole tract, it is probably time to move off. Roads should be reworked to remove ruts that exceed these guidelines. Reducing skidder loads is a good way to help minimize rutting under wet conditions.

If wet weather forces you to pull off a job, be sure to dress up the skid trails and temporary roads with waterbars or other structures if necessary. It may be a long time before you are able to move back on the site with your equipment and significant erosion can occur. Road washouts may cause you to spend extra time fixing the road when you could otherwise be finishing the operation.

This subject is covered in both the Recommended Specifications section (blue) and the Forest Wetlands section (green) of the Blue Book. If you have a question regarding BMPs, please call me at (936) 639-8180.

* This article was published in the January 2003 issue of the Texas Logger