Forest roads provide access to logging sites and enable transportation of timber from forest to mills. Efficient forest management and forest industry are impossible without a proper forest road network. The bearing capacity of forest roads is a key factor in building a safe network, however this varies significantly due to weather conditions, seasons, use and quality of roading materials.
In a new study from the Natural Resources Institute of Finland, tests were carried out on three tools used to measure the bearing capacity of roads. The results from using the light falling weight deflectometer (LFWD), the dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) and the conventional falling weight deflectometer (FWD) was compared in relation to road characteristics and moisture conditions.
The study presents reliable regression models between measuring devices and indicate that light portable tools, the DCP and the LFWD, can in most cases be used instead of the expensive falling weight deflectometer on forest roads.
Click here for source (Silva Fennica)
Photo: Wikimedia
