Forest road design to minimize erosion in the southern Appalachians

Excessive erosion and low serviceability of roads are continuing problems associated with forest management in the mountains of the southeastern United States. Road and erosion research.at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in western North Carolina dates from roadbank stabilization work in the 1930's. Emphasis has been to develop and demonstrate a low-cost, low-maintenance road design. Results cover such features as: drainage and the broad-based dip, cut-bank design and stabilization, roadbed surfacing, brush barriers and filter strips, culvert sizing, and transportation planning. Application of knowledge gained permits roads to be built and maintained at lower cost while providing practical control of sediment input to streams