2005/06 Innovation Award Finalist:
Dr. Dave's Alluvial Fan Team, Ministry of Forests and Range
Team Members:
Wendy Bergerud, Tom Millard, Matt Sakals, Dr. Dave Wilford
Partner Organizations:
- Professor John Innes, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia
- Professor R. Sidle, Kyoto University
- Robin Pike, FORREX
- Bill Grainger, Grainger and Associates Consultants Ltd.
- Dr. P. Cherubini, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
- Kandy Schroder, Selkirk Management Services
For decades, the forest industry in British Columbia has encountered operational, economic, and environmental challenges with valley bottom roads and forest harvesting. Mainline forest roads and drainage structures have washed out on a regular basis, plantations have been flooded with sediment and debris, and fish habitat has been impacted. A Forest Service research team has identified that the majority of these challenges were related to alluvial fans. These fans are conical-shaped landforms formed by the deposition of sediment as streams lose confinement. In addition to environmental and financial costs, there have also been human costs. Four tree planters died when their truck dropped off an eroded bridge on the George Creek fan in 1990.
The team's research documented operational forestry issues and developed a science-based hazard classification scheme that can be applied by operational forest practitioners to develop appropriate road construction and forest harvesting prescriptions on fans. The forest industry has been very receptive to the scheme and to modifying their conventional practices, which were not cost effective and often damaged fish habitat. The scheme has enabled the forest industry to demonstrate that forest management is possible on fans. For example, West Fraser Inc. in Smithers spent thousands of dollars annually trying to maintain a mid-fan road and bridge on Winfield Creek. They eventually abandoned the road and crossed the fan at the apex. They have had no problems since.
To enable forest practitioners, geoscientists and engineers to develop environmentally and economically sound prescriptions, and to provide direct experience for two ministry land management handbooks, 18 one-day workshops have been held at locations around the province over the last four years. Moreover, the team's research has been presented at four international conferences in Europe, Australia, and the United States, and numerous other conferences in B.C.
No other jurisdiction has undertaken this research. The BC Forest Service is the world leader in developing sound forest management on alluvial fans.
