The Resource Roads network across British Columbia like a spider web.  Over 400,000 kms of roads of various widths, lengths, materials and uses are largely unregulated and not enforced.

Resource roads fall into several broad categories: Forest Service Roads (known as FSR's), Petroleum Development Roads (known as PDR's), private roads, non-status roads, wilderness roads, spur roads, and permit roads.  Some, such as PDR's or mining access roads, have prescribed construction standards.  Others, like FSR's, don't.  Most have no maintenance requirements or standards whatsoever. A forest company  which holds a road permit, meaning it would be responsible for maintaining that road to an industrial standard, is not required to maintain the road if it's not actively operating or hauling on that road.  As forest industry activities are curtailed due to the economic downturn, more and more roads are not being maintained. 

Resource road users, including tourists and recreation users, need to be aware that maintenance is not being done on many of these roads.  Surfaces are very rough, and brush is growing in, creating line-of-sight issues.  We urge all resource road users to exercise extreme caution when venturing out.  Expect the unexpected.  Even though there may not be active logging in an area, there may still well be industrial and other users out there - oil & mining exploration, silviculture, access to First Nations communities, and so on. 

Follow these Resource Road Use Safety Tips:

1. Drive with your headlights on at all times.
2. Stay on your own side of the road.
3. If you have a radio, make sure you're on the right frequency and follow calling   procedures.  If not, tuck in behind an industrial vehicle and follow it into the woods.
4. Never assume there's no oncoming traffic. Expect the unexpected.
5. Have a safety check-in plan in place.  There is no cell phone coverage on most of BC's resource roads, and help may not come for a while.
6. Carry an emergency kit with you which includes food, water, and a way to keep warm.  If you break down or have problems you may be waiting for help for hours.
7. Loaded industrial vehicles have the right of way.  You need to pull over and wait til the loaded vehicle is cleared.
8. Do not pass an industrial vehicle until that vehicle indicates that it is safe to do so.
9. Obey all speed controls. This includes speed limits and stop signs.
10. Wear your seatbelt at all times.

For Ministry of Forests tips on the non-industrial Use of Forestry Roads, click here

For Ministry of Forests tips on industrial use for Forestry Roads and Timber Transportation, click here 

For a Resource Road Safety bulletin please click here.

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