Forest roads timber bridges: new inspection and maintenance guide now available

There are over a hundred forest and multi-use bridges in the province of Quebec providing access to public forest land and its resources. Because of their location and use, these bridges are not part of the Quebec road network, and are therefore not subject to provincial policies on transportation systems and roads.

To ensure the longer lifespan of timber forest bridges and increase the use of wood in their construction, the Québec ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF), in collaboration with FPInnovations, has developed the Guide d’inspection et d’entretien des ponts forestiers en bois (Forest Roads Timber Bridge Inspection and Maintenance Guide – only available in French). This guide aims to facilitate and enhance the use of wood in forest bridges by standardizing their inspection and maintenance, through an understanding of the impact of use conditions and environmental factors on their service life. It also aims to provide information on suitable non-destructive inspection techniques for wood, as well as the tools available for monitoring them.

A comprehensive guide

The new guide, abundantly illustrated, is intended to anyone having to inspect or maintain timber bridges in order to preserve their integrity and reliability. Produced by FPInnovations’ wood construction and protection experts, it has also been reviewed by a committee of industry experts.

The guide covers everything from pre-construction material protection methods, through visual identification of wood properties, to the various aspects of inspection and maintenance. It also presents the main aspects and challenges of forest bridge monitoring.

Finally, the guide also includes a series of appendices to help you progress through the various inspection and maintenance steps:

  • Check list of visual inspection
  • Protocol for measuring moisture content
  • Protocol for measuring drill resistance
  • Evaluation table of the general condition of a bridge
  • Required equipment and tools.

Get your free copy

The Guide d’inspection et d’entretien des ponts forestiers en bois is the latest resource that FPInnovations offers for professionals working in the area of mass timber construction.

Download the digital edition for free (in French only), or purchase a paper copy through FPInnovations’ Amazon store.

Read about our newest publications on this topic, or visit FPInnovations’ online library to search our catalogue of more than 10,000 titles on a wide range of topics related to forest operations, wood products, pulp and paper, and bio-sourced products.

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