In 2013–2014, a survey was conducted in Switzerland to update the Forest Access Roads geo-dataset within the framework of the Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI). The resulting nationwide dataset contains valuable information on truck-accessible forest roads that can be used to transport wood. The survey involved interviewing staff from the approximately 800 local forest services in Switzerland and recording the data first on paper maps and then in digitized form. The data in the NFI on the forest roads could thus be updated and additional information regarding their trafficability for specific categories of truck included. The information has now been attached to the geometries of the Roads and Tracks of the swissTLM3D (release 2012) of the Federal Office of Topography swisstopo. The resulting data are suitable for statistical analyses and modeling, but further (labour-intensive) validation work would be necessary if they are to be used as a basis for applications requiring more spatial accuracy, such as navigation systems. The data are managed at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and are available for third parties for non-commercial use provided they have purchased a TLM license.

Related Publication: doi: 10.3188/szf.2016.0136