Silen, Roy R.; Gratkowski, H. J. 1953. An estimate of the amount of road in the staggered-setting system of clearcutting. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station; Res. Note 92. 4 p.
One question frequently asked by foresters in the Douglas-fir region is: "How much land is taken
out of forest production by logging roads and landings?" The final answer is not known, but a rough
estim ate recently prepared for a sizable portion of the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest may be
useful as a tentative figure.. The experimental area is located about 50 miles east of Eugene, Oregon on the
Willamette National Forest and is fairly typical of the old-growth
Douglas-fir forests that are found on steep watersheds in the Oregon
Cascades.
A forestry-logging plan covering 8,800 acres within the experi mental forest furnishes an estimate
of total road mileage needed for a permanent road system. The 12 clearcuttings, where logging has
now been completed, provide a measure of the area actually disturbed during both roadbuilding and
landing construction.