Rutting Guidelines

There are specific guidelines for rutting in wetlands or wetland like areas which state:

“Ruts should not be present to the extent that they impede, restrict, or change natural water flows and drainage’s. The determination of excessive rutting is highly subjective and must be made only by a forester or other qualified individual who evaluates rutting extent, depth, soil type, direction and position and other local factors.”

There are several ways to prevent or reduce rutting while harvesting including but not limited to moving off site when wet, using high flotation extra wide tires, padding skid trails with brush, and shovel logging.