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“Road Ecology:
Science and Solutions”
(A General Summary)
Committee/Board Meeting
and
Symposium
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UW-Madison
Pyle Center
February 12-13, 2004
Presentation Objective
• Introduce a New Book
• Summarize Content
• Provide Information that
May be Relevant to our Focus
The Book
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The Basics
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Published 2003
About 480 Pages
Island Press
14 Authors
Primary Author: Richard
Forman (Prof. Landscape
Ecology - Harvard)
The Basics (Cont.)
• Other Authors:
 Daniel Sperling
 John Bissonette
 Anthony
Clevenger
 Carol Cutshall
 Virginia Dale
 Lenore Fahrig
 Robert France
• Other Authors:
 Charles Goldman
 Kevin Heanue
 Julia Jones
 Fredrick Swanson
 Thomas
Turrentine
 Thomas Winter
The Basics (Cont.)
• Author’s Background
Prof. Landscape Ecology
Prof. Civil and Env. Engineering
Research Scientist USGS
Wildlife Research Ecologist
Ex-Director WisDOT Bureau of Environment
Ecologist
Prof. of Biology
Assoc. Prof. of Design (focus on Water)
Prof. of Limnology
The Basics (Cont.)
• Author’s Background
Ex-FHWA Director of Environment and Planning
(currently consultant in same area)
Research Ecologist with Forest Service
Anthropology Research (clean air focus)
Senior Research Hydrologist USGS
• Book Objective: “…to articulate state-of-thescience road ecology principles and present
specific examples that demonstrate the
application of those principles.”
The Content
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14 Chapters
58 Page Bibliography
Part 1: Roads, Vehicles, and Ecology
Part 2: Vegetation and Wildlife
Part 3: Water, Chemicals, and
Atmosphere
• Part 4: Road Systems and Further
Perspectives
Part 1: Roads, Vehicles, and Ecology
• Road Ecology Defined/History
• History of Roadway Systems
 US/Canada
 Size,
Growth and Patterns
 Roadway Infrastructure (e.g., Roadside, Bridges,
etc.)
• Vehicles and Planning
 Automobile
Impacts
 Vehicles (Size, Fuel, and Technologies)
 Planning and Project Development
 Air Quality Models, etc.
Road Ecology- Definition
• Road - “…an open way for the passage of
vehicles…”
• Ecology - “…the study of interactions
between organisms and the environment.”
• Road Ecology - “…the interaction of
organisms and the environment linked to
roads and vehicles.”
• The Exploration of the Relationships between
the Natural Environment and the Road
System
Part 2: Vegetation and Wildlife
• Roadsides and Vegetation
 Reading
the Roadside and Roadside Vegetation
and Plants
 Roadside Habitats and Animals
 Roadside Management
• Wildlife Populations
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Road Mortality and Factors that Impact It
Changes in Amount/Quality of Habitat
Landscape Connectivity
Cumulative Effects and Road Density
Part 2 (Continued)
• Mitigation for Wildlife
 Measures
for Mortality, Habitat Loss, and Reduced
Habitat Quality
 Types of Underpasses/Overpasses
 Factor Impacting Wildlife Passage Use
 Summary and Effectiveness
 Mitigation Case Studies
• Most Relevant Chapter and will be Used in
Wildlife Crossing Summary of Toolbox
Part 3: Water, Chemicals, and Atmosphere
• Water and Sediment Flows
 Erosion
and Sediment Control
 Relationship between Roads and Water
 Road Types, Land Use, and Water
• Chemicals Along Roads
 Sources,
Dispersion, Ecological Effects
 Roadsalt
 Best
Management Practices
Part 3 (Continued)
• Aquatic Ecosystems
 Habitat,
Connectivity, and Roads
 Lakes, Wetlands, and Salt Marshes
 Streams/Rivers and Bridges/Culverts
• Wind and Atmospheric Effects
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Microclimates, Wind, and Windbreaks
Dust and Erosion, Snow and Snowbreaks
Vehicle Disturbance/Traffic Noise
Local, Regional, and Global Impacts
Part 4: Road Sys. and Further Perspectives
• Road Systems and the Land
 Road
Ecology and Network Theory
 Spatial Attributes and Changes in Networks
 Impacts of Road System on Adjacent Land and the
Impacts of Land on the Road System
• Four Landscapes with Road Systems
 Built
Land
 Forestry Land
 Agricultural Land
 Grazing/Arid Land
Part 4 (Continued)
• Roads/Vehicles in Natural
Landscape
 Remote
Land
 Parkland
 The Artic and the Tropics
• Further Perspective (The Future)
 Road
Ecology and Sustainability
 Potential Policy/Planning Solutions
 Some Perspectives for Future Policy,
Planning, and Projects
Pre-Publishing Comments
• “Road Ecology is the “Silent Spring” of
transportation. Unless we move rapidly
from road engineering to road ecology, we
will soon live in a world of squashed and
fragmented ecosystems. Without pretension
and hyperbole, this book calmly lays out
both the scientific case for an ecological
approach to transportation problem solving,
and provides the roadmap for getting there.
It is a huge contribution to the
transportation and planning professions”
David Burwell, President, STPP
Pre-Publishing Comments (Cont.)
• “…synthesize[s] the varied ecological costs and
benefits of roads, highlighting both what we
know and what we don’t. In the process, they are
initiating a new, ecologically sensitive approach
to planning.”
John Wein, Scientist, The Nature Conservancy
• “An impressive and much needed synthesis that
‘maps a road’ forward for scientific discovery and
better transportation planning and action. A
must read for transportation specialists and
ecologists alike.”
Kathryn Freemark, Ecologist, Environment CA
Pre-Publishing Comments (Cont.)
• “This book provides a roadmap for
safeguarding wildlife, vegetation and water
quality while we move ahead with our goals of
reducing traffic congestion, enhancing safety
and improving movement of goods to every
corner of our state.”
Jeff Morales, Director of Caltrans
My Conclusions
• My Background:

Not Completely Finished with Book

Engineering/Traffic Safety Focus

Animal Mortality Focus

Solution/Countermeasure Focus
• Found the Mitigation for Wildlife Chapter
Helpful
• Unfortunately Some Similar
Countermeasure Conclusions based on
Poor Research/Author Background
My Conclusions (Continued)
• “Reality Check” Issue
• Also Found the Roadsides and Vegetation
Chapter Interesting
• Wide Range of Perspectives for Policy and
Programming of Roadways
• Great Document for Discussion of the
Wide Range of Roadway Environmental
Impacts (Water, Noise, Air, and Animal
Mortality)
• An Interesting Read Overall
Questions and Discussion
Website: www.deercrash.com