Principal Investigator(s):
Dean Current, Director, CINRAM, Forest Resources
Project summary:
Previous research for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), which estimated the costs and benefits of snow fences in terms of a reduction in the costs of mitigating blowing/drifting snow problem areas, demonstrated the ability of snow fences to significantly lower those costs for MnDOT districts. To address lack of adoption, this project designed and tested an outreach program for MnDOT offices in one district and worked with MnDOT to prepare an outreach plan promoting greater adoption and cost savings in the remaining offices in the state. The overall goal was to reduce blowing/drifting snow problems and associated costs in the state through an effective outreach program to MnDOT district offices and, through them, to landowners. The objectives of the project were to 1) carry out a pre-promotion KAP (knowledge, attitudes, and practices) survey, 2) implement a snow fence promotion program, 3) carry out a post-promotion KAP study, 4) based on the KAP study, design an outreach plan to promote installation of snow-fences and the associated cost savings, and 5) assess the market and non-market value of different permanent and non-permanent snow fence designs.