Syllabus

Course: ESRM 468 – Forest Operations

Course Coordinator: Peter Schiess

Catalog Description: Examines forest land surveying, low volume road access planning, and timber harvesting concepts. Low volume road design principles and practical application of field road location.  Overview of road drainage design, construction techniques and maintenance. Reviews basic harvest systems and setting design processes, including cost, production control, environmental and safety considerations.

Course Overview: The course is designed to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to understand the fundamentals of forest operations from road systems and vehicle interaction in low-volume road systems typical in forested watersheds, to harvest operations.  The principles of low volume road design  (LVRD) are demonstrated by taking the students step-by-step through the design process from the initial map location to the final design project. 
Harvest operations are the logical extension of the road system. They are usually the most expensive aspect in the forest business, both economically and environmentally.  Material is moved over unimproved terrain either by cable or machine from the tree location to the landing (a point of volume concentration).  Understanding the governing principles of materials handling and transport under extreme terrain conditions are the basis for an environmentally and economically sound design.  (5 credits)

Course Prerequisites: 250; ESRM 323; ESRM 368

Textbook or other required material: Provided on the class web page: http://courses.washington.edu/fe468/

http://courses.washington.edu/fe346/ and   

http://courses.washington.edu/fe341/

http://courses.washington.edu/fe450/

Course Objectives: At the end of the course on the student should be able to:

  1. Identify the controlling road design criteria governing a specific road design project
  2. Calculate the necessary road design parameters such as alignment geometrics, earthwork and cost parameters
  3. Take a road project from its inception (paper plan) through the various design phases (field location of gradeline, traversing of preliminary design line and final road design, including costing)
  4. Field locate appropriate gradelines, curves and stream crossings in relation to stated road design parameters such as governing road management objectives, vehicle characteristics, and topographic conditions
  5. Explain the basic harvesting systems, its components and functions
  6. Select the appropriate timber harvest system based on the silvicultural prescription
  7. Perform basic economic analysis for evaluating a harvest operation based on equipment and timber characteristics
  8. Access and utilize a variety of non-textbook information pertinent to design (e.g. codes/standards, government regulations, handbooks, computer-based resources, etc.).

 

Topics Covered

  1. Road design: Designing the appropriate road based on user & construction costs.
  2. Grade line location procedure and curve lay-out in the field
  3. Preliminary line traverse in the field
  4. Vehicle tracking characteristics.  Students are instructed to identify basic vehicle parameters that determine off-tracking
  5. Culvert design: Use of appropriate culvert design procedure
  6. Production and cost analysis for various harvest systems
  7. Computer Usage: Use of road design and cable payload analysis software
  8. Laboratory Projects

 

Class/Laboratory Schedule:
Class –                 Lecture            Monday; 9:30 – 11:20

                               Lab                         Monday 11:30-17:20