Name: Arzoglou Aikaterini

Forest Road Construction Policies in Austria

Abstract

There is a distinct difference concerning regulations of forest development

between countries of Central Europe, e.g. Austria, Germany, Switzerland, with
"old", well-established forestry systems and "young" countries, e.g. Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, with a rapidly developing forestry sector oriented
towards sustainable production and environmental restrictions. While the former
amended gradually their traditional forest legislation according to modern
requirements in a more general way, the latter try to regulate forest road
construction in the context of forest harvesting in detail by means of forest
practices codes close to textbooks which are either recommended or even
enacted.

A joint problem of the forestry sector on the political and practical level
worldwide is environmental concern about forest development and utilization.
Instead of a permanent confrontation, pragmatic and integral solutions must be
found that are well adapted to the socio-economic and environmental conditions
of a country.

The author deals with Austrian and international experiences in policies

and regulations of planning and building forest roads in the context of multi-
purpose management and environmentally friendly techniques. Additionally the
paper contains a chapter on practical recommendations oriented towards a
roading performance in compliance with the legal requirements. The annex
contains some facts and figures of Austria, which decidedly influence the
forestry system.

The Austrian forest legislation - A brief review

Forestry regulations in Central Europe date back to the middle ages as

construction timber and fuel wood were commodities of prime economic
importance at that time. Especially in the Alpine mountains of Austria the
production of salt and iron depended on the steady delivery of huge quantities of
fuel wood and charcoal so that forest assessments aiming at a regular forestry
system with sustainable yield commenced in that region in the early sixteenth
century.
 Though numerous forestry regulations existed in the Austrian provinces in
the mid-nineteenth century, many mountain forests were in a wretched condition
because of overutilization and extensive livestock grazing. A critical situation in
retrospect, which is still comparable to depleted mountainous areas in many
developing countries today.

Flood and avalanche catastrophes led to public awareness of the serious

problem and to a turning point of forest policy. In 1852 a federal Forest Act
came into force paving the way for a modern forestry system in the entire former
Austrian Empire. This development was greatly enhanced by the industrial use
of fossil energy instead of fuel wood and charcoal and the extension of the
railway and road system. The basic key rules of this Forest Act are still valid
today:

protection of forest land against clearing;

 compulsory reforestation or natural regeneration after harvesting;

 preservation of forest stands against malpractices;

 special management of protection forests on steep slopes, unstable ground,

and along riverbanks.

These principles of forest preservation and improvement were

supplemented by many practice rules, e.g. for felling and timber transportation,
the latter depending mainly on ground skidding, floating and rafting at that time.

Additional provincial regulations supplemented this federal act mainly by

limiting clear-cut areas.

During the implementation of the forest legislation a Forest Service and

additionally an Organization for Torrent and Avalanche Control were
established and upgraded during the following decades.

The Forest Act was valid for more than 120 years and outlived the
Austrian monarchy by far. The first amendments were made not before the
1960s and finally the present Forest Act was enforced in 1975.

Since earthmoving machinery became available after the Second World

War in Austria, more or less uncontrolled mechanized forest road building
employing bulldozers on steep terrain led to serious problems in the 1950s.
Consequently, regulations of a modern forest transportation system became the
centerpiece of the Forest Act Amendment of 1962 enforcing general roaming
rules:
 Negative impacts on forest soils and stands must be minimized. The road
density has to be limited depending on technical, economic and environmental
considerations.

 Construction, maintenance and use of forest roads must not

- cause critical erosion,

- impede high water flow in torrents,
- enhance avalanches,
- cause imbalance of unstable terrain,
- influence the runoff in a negative way in critical watersheds.

 Forest roads must be planned by professional forest engineers, road building

must be supervised by forest engineers or foresters.

 Individual approval by the forest authority with a formal procedure at the

district level is required for forest roads planned in mountainous watersheds,
and/or affecting protection forests, and/or interfering with public interests, e.g.
public roads, railways, power lines, etc.

 Normal forest road projects outside of these limitations must be announced to

the forest authority four weeks ahead of construction in order to check their
location.

A by-product of this amendment was the legal framework of forest road

associations needed for joint forest developments in areas subdivided into small
farm forest properties.

These general rules described above are typical of the Austrian forest
legislation. Contrary to detailed forest practices codes, which are recommended
or enacted in many countries with a "young" forestry system, forest roading is
regulated based upon more general rules and principles. However, the individual
projects need a particular approval by the forest authority so that various details
can be adapted to the varying local conditions.

Technical standards, e.g. road profiles, grades, drainage, as well as

planning and construction methods are described in numerous textbooks, but are
not legally enforced.