Washington Administrative Code › Title 222 - Forest Practices Board › Chapter 222-24 - Road construction and maintenance › Section 222-24-010 - Policy

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1)* A well
			 designed, located, constructed, and maintained system of forest roads is
			 essential to forest management and protection of the public resources. Riparian
			 areas contain some of the more productive conditions for growing timber, are
			 heavily used by wildlife and provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife
			 and essential functions in the protection of water quality. Wetland areas serve
			 several significant functions in addition to timber production: Providing fish
			 and wildlife habitat, protecting water quality, moderating and preserving water
			 quantity. Wetlands may also contain unique or rare ecological
			 systems.
(2) To protect water
			 quality and riparian habitat, roads must be constructed and maintained in a
			 manner that will prevent potential or actual damage to public resources. This
			 will be accomplished by constructing and maintaining roads so as not to result
			 in the delivery of sediment and surface water to any typed water in amounts, at
			 times or by means, that preclude achieving desired fish habitat and water
			 quality by:
. Providing for fish passage at all life stages;
. Preventing mass wasting;
. Limiting delivery of sediment and surface runoff to all typed
				waters;
. Avoiding capture and redirection of surface or ground-water.
				This includes retaining streams in their natural drainages and routing
				subsurface flow captured by roads and road ditches back onto the forest
				floor;
. Diverting most road runoff to the forest floor;
. Designing water crossing structures to the 100-year flood
				level to provide for the passage of bedload and some woody debris;
. Protecting stream bank stability, the existing stream
				channel, and riparian vegetation;
. Minimizing the construction of new roads;
. Assuring no-net-loss of wetland function; and
. Assuring no-net-loss of fish habitat.
The rules for road construction and maintenance and forest
				practices hydraulic projects must be applied in achieving these goals.
				Additional guidance is identified in board manual sections 3 and 5. If these
				goals are not achieved using the rules and the applied guidance, additional
				management strategies must be employed.
(3) Extra protection is required during road
			 construction and maintenance and for forest practices hydraulic projects to
			 protect public resources and timber growing potential. Landowners and fisheries
			 and wildlife managers are encouraged to cooperate in the development of road
			 management and abandonment plans. Landowners are further encouraged to
			 cooperate in sharing roads to minimize road mileage and avoid duplicative road
			 construction.
(4) This section
			 covers the location, design, construction, maintenance and abandonment of
			 forest roads, bridges, stream crossings, quarries, borrow pits, and disposal
			 sites used for forest road construction and is intended to assist landowners in
			 proper road planning, construction and maintenance so as to protect public
			 resources.
(Note: Other laws and rules and/or permit requirements may
				apply. See chapter 222-50 WAC.)
Statutory Authority:
				RCW
				76.09.040(3). WSR 13-21-032,
				§ 222-24-010, filed 10/8/13, effective 12/30/13. Statutory Authority:
				RCW
				76.09.040. WSR 06-11-112, § 222-24-010,
				filed 5/18/06, effective 6/18/06; WSR 05-12-119, § 222-24-010, filed
				5/31/05, effective 7/1/05. Statutory Authority:
				Chapter
				34.05 RCW,
				RCW
				76.09.040, [76.09.]050, [76.09.]370,
				76.13.120(9). WSR 01-12-042, § 222-24-010, filed 5/30/01, effective
				7/1/01. Statutory Authority:
				RCW
				   76.09.040,
				76.09.170 and
				chapter
				34.05 RCW. WSR 94-01-134,
				§ 222-24-010, filed 12/20/93, effective 1/1/94. Statutory Authority:
				RCW
				   76.09.040,
				76.09.050 and
				chapter
				34.05 RCW. WSR 92-15-011,
				§ 222-24-010, filed 7/2/92, effective 8/2/92. Statutory Authority:
				RCW
				76.09.040. WSR 87-23-036 (Order 535), §
				222-24-010, filed 11/16/87, effective 1/1/88. Statutory Authority:
				RCW
				   76.09.040 and
				76.09.050. WSR 82-16-077
				(Resolution No. 82-1), § 222-24-010, filed 8/3/82, effective 10/1/82;
				Order 263, § 222-24-010, filed 6/16/76. WSR 13-21-003, § 222-24-010,
				filed 10/3/2013, effective 11/3/2013