Forest road
Forest roads , also referred to as forest roads or forest roads , are non-public roads intended for the traffic of motor vehicles or wagons, including the associated ancillary facilities, which serve exclusively or mainly as driveways for forestry , i.e. the maintenance of the forest and the bringing of the felling . Forest roads in the forest are part of the forest.
General
In the alluvial forest and other areas that are particularly worthy of protection, forest roads and roads are usually marked by a driving ban or blocked off with barriers .
The situation is more diverse in the mountains . On the one hand, the forest roads on steep slopes have to be wider than on flat land , so that the large machines can safely negotiate serpentines (bends). On the other hand, the widening of old driveways increases the risk of greater erosion or landslides .
The unpaved logging paths lead from the forest roads , on which the felled trees are brought to the assembly point on the paved forest path.
Situation in Germany
The Federal Forest Act 1975 basically also permits cycling and riding on forest paths, whereby the federal states can regulate details.
In the explanation of symbols on German topographical maps, a distinction is made between paved roads, driveways , forest paths and footpaths for paths that open up the forest, depending on their load-bearing capacity , the latter not being accessible with a forestry vehicle.
Situation in Austria
The legal basis for the accessibility of the forest as well as the forest roads and forest paths is regulated in the Austrian Forest Act 1975 .
Forest roads do not need to be marked in order to be considered as such, so that even if there are no relevant information, unauthorized driving is generally prohibited. In addition, however, special agreements between tourism associations and forest owners are marked on many forest roads. A goods route that only leads through the forest , on the other hand, remains a goods route and can be used unless this is expressly prohibited (e.g. by means of barriers).
There is a controversial discussion about the general accessibility of the forest roads for mountain bikers . The forestry sector is often forced to restrict itself in those regions where the tourism industry advocates free traffic.
In some federal states , construction is not only subject to forest law, but also nature conservation law.
Situation in Switzerland
Forest roads are in accordance Swisstopo streets of the 5th grade , while driveways roads are the 4th grade.
The legal basis for the accessibility of the forest and the forest paths are regulated in the Federal Forest Act (WaG) and in the cantonal forest laws.
While pedestrians are allowed to enter forests without restrictions, cycling is only permitted on forest paths and roads, driving cross-country or on paths that are obviously reserved for pedestrians (e.g. hiking trails) is not permitted. A corresponding disregard must be shown, it is not done officially. In order to clear up misunderstandings as to whether the route in question is obviously reserved for pedestrians, corresponding driving bans can be signaled .
According to the Federal Law on Forests, motor vehicles are not allowed to enter forest paths, even if no driving ban is signaled. Signs are recommended for streets whose affiliation is unclear (connecting road or forest road).
See also
- Economic route in Germany
literature
- Peter Dietz, Wolfgang Knigge, Hans Löffler: Forest development. A textbook for study and practice with a special focus on forest road construction . Parey, Hamburg and Berlin 1984, 426 pages, ISBN 3-490-02116-9
- Swen Hentschel, Function-related optimization of forest development in the Göttingen city forest using geographic information systems , esp. Chap. 3.4 - Deriving a demand-oriented development network , Diss. Göttingen July 1999
- Administrative court Cologne judgment Az. 14 K 5008/07 (PDF; 38 kB), explanatory statement on the definition of forest paths, Cologne December 2, 2008
Web links
- Podcast forest roads - access to our forest on www.forstcast.net
Individual evidence
- ↑ Federal Forest Act 1975 §14.
- ↑ Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism : When is entering a forest permitted or prohibited? , accessed on August 7, 2020.
- ↑ Mountain biking: The forest path remains taboo. In: kurier.at , June 9, 2019, accessed on August 7, 2020.
- ↑ The Alpine Club and mountain biking. In: alpenverein.at , September 30, 2015, accessed on August 7, 2020.
- ↑ Forstweg in Tirol accessed on June 28, 2010
- ↑ Swisstopo: Card Signatures , accessed on February 12, 2017.
- ^ Zurich canton police: traffic rules in the forest , accessed on February 13, 2015