ERM 448Rural Road Ecology and Maintenance

3 credits · Environmental Resource Management · Penn State

Roads are ubiquitous throughout the landscape and this course is intended for students who anticipate working in natural resource management fields. This course provides students with the fundamental understanding of the interaction of natural systems with unpaved and low volume paved roads in order to economically maintain roadways with minimum impact on the environment. The major focus area will be the road/stream interface, including the fundamentals of hydrology, geology, soils, and erosion processes as they pertain to roads and streams. It is expected that the student will gain a practical understanding of rural road maintenance in order to provide a foundation for real-world application. Emphasis is placed on Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance (ESM) practices for rural roads that are used throughout Pennsylvania. The goal of ESM practices is to minimize the environmental impact of the existing road network by maintaining proper road drainage in order to keep road materials out of the adjacent streams and surrounding landscape. Upon completion the student will be ESM certified under Pennsylvania's Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Maintenance Program.