A handy gauge for forest and farm road construction measurements

              Forestry Note:
A HANDY GAUGE FOR FOREST AND FARM ROAD
CONSTRUCTION MEASUREMENTS
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This Forestry Note describes a simple, low-cost gauge for slope and height measurements to
use when constructing dips, installing culverts and properly sloping road surfaces.
Accurate measurements are needed when
constructing a forest or farm road to insure good
drainage and low maintenance costs, and to
minimize soil erosion (Figure 1).
Road Dips
Dips are used for surface drainage of outsloped
roads and for cross-drainage of crowned roads.
On-site measurements of height and slope are
needed in constructing dips (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Forest road with good surface drainage
Figure 2. Dip slope and height measurements
Figure 3. Where dip height is too low, high water
may flow over the berm and cause erosion
Figure 4. The trough of the dip is eroding because
the slope is too steep (over 3% average)
Figure 5. The trough of the dip is filling in
because of too little slope (less than 3% average)