Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Best management practices for erosion control from bladed skid trails

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Sediment from forest operations is primarily associated with roads and skid trails. We evaluated five skid trail closure treatments applied to bladed skid trails in the Virginia Piedmont. Closure treatments were Waterbars, Seed, Mulch, Pine slash, and Hardwood slash. Sediment traps were used to collect monthly sediment samples for one year. The Mulch, Pine slash, and Hardwood slash treatments produced erosion of less than 4 tons/acre/ year while the Waterbar only treatment produced over 60 tons/acre/year. Seed was better than Waterbar only, but was not as effective as the other treatments. Other factors that contributed to sediment production included time since installation, frost heaving, and precipitation quantity and intensity. These data indicate that best management practices which favor ground cover by slash, vegetation, or similar treatments should provide adequate erosion control.

Parent Publication

Citation

Wade, Charles R.; Aust, W. Michael; Bolding, M. Chad; Lakel III, William A. 2012. Best management practices for erosion control from bladed skid trails. In: Butnor, John R., ed. 2012. Proceedings of the 16th biennial southern silvicultural research conference. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-156. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 368-371.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/41531