and combustibility affecting scientific interpretations. It was also apparent to 

 observers that smoke was not a significant pollutant or hazard in rural areas, when 

 atmospheric circulation is good and the burn piles attended. Open burning should 

 remain a slash-disposal option for well-trained managers to use according to their 

 judgment, assuming that public attitudes and government air standards maintain or 

 attain rationality. 



Soil Impacts 



Knowledge in this area is derived almost entirely from government resource 

 management agencies and universities. Dailey's valuable bibliography^ cited soils 92 

 times. Many of these were linked with herbicide residue studies. An examination of 

 ROWs in New York State, ^ applicable to most of the humid Northeast, found soils 

 little disturbed except along access roads and at tower locations. Between these loci, 

 where most of the ROW lies, soils are usually protected by vegetation. Here, topsoil 

 conditions did not differ from adjacent woods. This study, however, did not 

 document line impacts on the Long Island Moraine where fragile substrates have 

 taken a pounding ( Figure 1 ). ^ Damage there is permanent, or could be corrected only 

 by very costly restoration. However, the sociological context of this urbanized area 

 makes such efforts "impractical," managers say. 



Light, excessively-drained soils in other parts of the country undoubtedly show 

 similar effects where ROW access is unmanaged. In mountainous regions the 

 potential for accelerated erosion is also high. A Montana master's thesis'' predicted 

 that road construction associated with logging would be the principal source of 

 stream sediments. Other investigators, such as Megahan and Kidd,** have proved this 

 to be the case. In such rugged terrain some utility companies are turning to 

 helicopters to erect structures, thus eliminating costly road requirements. 



By and large, ROW soil impacts are not of high research priority. The first need is 

 for better application of an already well-developed technology for erosion and 

 sediment control, or for younger managers to gain field experience in the many 

 techniques that they read about. 



Stream Impacts 



During environmental impact reviews, conservationists ask many questions of 

 utility personnel about stream protection practices. Answers reveal that engineering 

 and management techniques are plentiful but an examination of scientific literature 

 shows technique evaluations to be sparse. 



Government literature is valuable in assessing hazards to small streams from ROW 

 construction. Daytime water temperatures can be significantly elevated (up to 8- 

 10°F)' by shade removal, and poorly designed access roads can be a source of 

 damaging silt. '" These factors are especially threatening to salmonids. However, we 

 seldom encounter anyone in transmission line work (biologist or manager!) who 

 seriously worries about chubs, shiners, darters or dace — no matter how beautiful 

 their colorful markings or how interesting their organized schools. 



Several papers showed how culverts can block migrating fish.''''^ Significant 

 effects on fish movements must have occurred at hundreds of sites throughout the 

 states, for utilities have installed thousands of culverts. But here again the supposed 



^Figures la, b. and c show progressive development of ROW denudation and erosion problems in the 

 Oak-Pine Zone, Long Island, NY., due to uncontrolled vehicular access.— (a) natural oak-pine forest with 

 dense ground layer of ericads, mainly the desirable Gaylussacia baccaia and Vaccinium vacillans; (b) ten 

 year old ( ±) ROW on a similar site, but consisting of pitch pine regeneration. Shrubs (e.g., Gaylussacia) were 

 dense in the adjacent woods; (c) an older ROW on similar site, with oak-pine-huckleberry forest adjacent. 

 Note remanent patch of top-soil at bottom of picture. 



Rights-of-way on eastern Long Island are "great places" for cross country dune-buggy safaris, which 

 quickly destroy vegetation on these fragile sandy sites. Efforts to control such unauthorized access usually 

 results in barricade (e.g., fence) crashing. A "classified" agency report ( 1979) suggested a sociological study 

 and evaluation of the situation. 



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