This study, initiated by FAO, meets the need to document and establish data on environmentally friendly forest engineering practices. The marked superiority of sophisticated construction equipment and advanced techniques in forest road construction should encourage the adoption of such practices to provide access to the forests by roads in mountainous and difficult terrain. The study was carried out in semi-natural forests of the Alps in the province of Salzburg, Austria. Although the concept of opening up forests by a permanent road network as a precondition for forest management and utilization of forests in a sustainable manner is widely accepted both to specialists and to the public at large, it is a difficult concept to put into effect particularly in sensitive forest ecosystems. The results of this study give the opportunity to compare the efficiency and the environmental impacts of "environmentally sound road construction" in semi-natural forests of the Alps as an alternative to the "traditional road construction methods" generally used in Austria in the past. Although a case study is just a snapshot of reality, it is hoped that this will contribute to raise interest in introducing environmentally friendly forest engineering practices not only in mountainous terrain but also in areas where sensitive forest ecosystems are to be accessed.

Type of Case
Printed publication (book, sourcebook, journal article…)

Publisher
FAO

Region
Europe

Biome
Temperate

Forest Type
All forest types (natural and planted)

Primary Designated Function
Production