>Forest Audits: Access, Site disturbance etc.

Here are some old photos from random audits, with some commentary on the good and the bad in each situation. 

Access is the worst part of forest management. 

This is mostly because of the permanent fragmentation of the forest, which results in people and (other) predators having a tremendous impact.  It is likely the cause of the receding caribou line in the north.  Increased predator movement, disturbance by ATVs, increased fires, invasive exotics, stream washouts.  Lots of access problems.  Other impacts may be neutral, for example, beavers actively use roads as they use the roads as a base for their dams.  This generates lots of comment during audits.  Trappers like increased beaver activity, and beavers can cause renewal of shoreline areas with their own form of logging.  Of course the road builders are not happy about the damage the beavers cause. 

Here are some examples of access and water crossings from various places across the country.

Lots of rock and metal here.  

The bridge looks safe.  Rock rubble in the creek is ok, but probably not the natural bottom.  Looks like the bridge is far enough back from the creek bed that there is no scouring and some room for natural veg.  

Note the lack of barber poles.  The stripped signs that show drivers that they are on a bridge.  Easy in summer, not so much in winter.