The Portuguese forest is strategic for the economy, the environment, and society. An adequate network of forest roads is essential for forest management, the transport of its products, and fire fighting. However, the design and construction of forest roads in Portugal lacks an up-to-date technical reference framework. This is aggravated by the fact that many of these roads are uncovered and subject to severe mechanical maneuvers (for example, due to heavy forestry vehicle traffic) and demanding environmental conditions. This poses additional challenges in terms of structural performance, durability, and maintenance.

European guidelines promote the circular economy and the valorization of waste. In the forestry sector and the pulp and paper industry, energy production in biomass boilers and other industrial processes generates significant amounts of by-products, the management of which represents both an environmental challenge and an opportunity for valorization. Their incorporation into civil engineering solutions can contribute to reducing the consumption of natural resources, mitigating environmental impacts associated with aggregate protection, and decreasing the landfilling of generated waste.

The ultimate goal of this project is to improve the design and construction of forest roads using solutions that promote a circular economy. These roads are essential infrastructure for accessing the forest for different purposes (management, maintenance, timber extraction, firefighting and control, recreation). The use of by-products from the forest value chain in the construction of forest roads is an important circular economy practice, encouraged under the EU's ‘end-of-waste’ strategy. The Roads4Forest project, which includes laboratory tests to characterise the different materials, element tests, real-scale physical tests and the construction of an experimental section on site, complemented by numerical modelling of different solutions.

As a result of the project, it has been compiled a Forest Roads Manual that emerges as a technical and operational tool designed to support the planning, construction, and maintenance of the forest road network in Portugal. The manual brings together guidelines adapted to the national reality, promoting the operational efficiency of the territory, fire prevention, and the modernization of forestry operations, intended to local authorities, entities and forestry producers.

The publication of the Forest Roads Manual aims to establish itself as a technical reference in sustainable forest management in Portugal and to project good practices internationally.