Optimal policies for managing aggregate resources on temporary forest roads

Abstract

High-quality, durable rock aggregate suitable for road surfacing, with low sediment-producing characteristics, is a scarce resource in many forested areas of the United States and elsewhere. Rock aggregate is a heavy product that generally must be transported less than 50 miles to be economically useful. In the Coast Ranges of western Oregon and Washington, aggregate for road surfacing can amount to more than 60% of the cost of road construction. Durable aggregate is becoming scarcer, with few known quarry sources. So, over the last two decades, some aggregate surfacing on temporary roads has been recycled by both the USDA Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Forestry. We discuss the process of recycling road aggregate, drawing from the experience on the Astoria District of the Oregon Department of Forestry, and then propose a mathematical formulation to determine optimal policies for managing aggregate resources on temporary forest roads. Copyright © 2006 by the Society of American Foresters.