MISSOULA – Spring is here and we are all eager to get out into our National Forests. Before you go, please be aware of road conditions and the increased potential to do harm to forest roads or get stuck.
Every year, most damage to unpaved roads occurs in the fall and spring when rains and snow-melt saturate soils, leaving road surfaces soft. When vehicles drive on these soft roads, they create wheel tracks and ruts which can hold and channel water and lead to erosion and sometimes road failure.
According to Chris Partyka, Lolo National Forest (LNF) Environmental Coordinator, the forest can experience damage to road beds in spring, especially in areas with poor soils (high clay content or granitic soil) where people are trying to get out early to explore or gather firewood when road conditions are at their worst.
The LNF typically issues a Closure Order each spring that identifies roads that may be subject to short-term closure if an on-site inspection finds it necessary. The order allows for the placement of temporary road barriers that can be moved as conditions change. The public is asked to respect the signs or barricades that will be used to keep vehicles off of roads until they dry out or firm up.
In addition to avoiding soft and muddy roads, forest visitors should maintain caution when venturing out upon snow and ice covered roads that appear firm. Conditions can change quickly as daytime temperatures and solar radiation heats up what appears to be a firm surface in the morning. By midday, packed snow and ice that was driven on earlier can become rotten, causing a vehicle to drop through and get stuck. Chains on all four tires may not be sufficient to pull a vehicle out of these conditions.
Forest visitors are asked to report road damage that they find, or inadvertently cause while driving this spring. And for current conditions of individual roads, please contact the respective Ranger District office: Missoula Ranger District 329-3814; Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District 826-3821; Superior Ranger District 822-4233; Ninemile Ranger District 626-5201 or Seeley Lake Ranger District 677-2233.
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