POTOSI, Mo.—The U.S. Forest Service has completed a major road reconstruction project on Crane Tower Road in July 2024. The 0.8-mile-long Crane Tower Road (Forest Road 2192,) located in Iron County, provides the only vehicle access to the top of Crane Mountain. Timber sales in the area, which meet restoration and management needs, had the added benefit of funding repairs to this important access road. These improvements will reduce negative effects that erosion was causing to the local ecosystem and will make using the road much more enjoyable for visitors.
View from top of Crane Mountain (Dave Bechtold)
The Crane Lookout Tower was once located on top of the mountain, but it was removed years ago as use of fire lookout towers decreased. The past placement of a tower provides testimony to how fantastic the view is of the surrounding hills and valleys from the top of Crane Mountain. With the new repairs, more people will have access to enjoy this vista.
District Ranger Becky Ewing explained, “We needed a way to make the road passable to provide more Forest visitors with the opportunity to experience that area of Mark Twain National Forest.”
Before these repairs, Crane Tower Road’s condition had deteriorated over the years—to the point that few vehicles could traverse it. The roadbed was severely eroded in places and soil was continuing to wash downhill and into ravines. The project reconditioned the roadbed, ditch lines and outlets; and it replaced 110 feet of 18-inch diameter metal culvert pipe. Fresh aggregate was also placed on the road surface to make it smoother and more durable. Visitors can now drive up the mountain, park at the top, and walk-in to the rocky glade area where the beautiful overlook can be found.
“We have been able to use ‘stewardship retained receipts’ to reconstruct two national forest roads in Iron County with local contractors,” said Ranger Ewing. “Our District’s annual roads budget is about $50,000, which must cover maintenance on 85 miles of roads; so having this additional funding source allows us to make costly repairs to roads that are causing significant natural resource issues.”
((INSERT PHOTOS….BEFORE AND AFTER…HERE))
Before and After pictures of FR2192 from Dana Sturgeon.
The cost of the project was $34,500, which was made possible by retained receipts collected through ‘stewardship timber sales’. Such timber sales differ from traditional timber sales because they allow for the trade of goods (in this case timber) for services. When the value of the timber is greater than the total cost of the services, then revenue is kept in a retained receipt account that funds on-the-ground natural restoration work within the stewardship project area. Receipts from stewardship projects remain on Mark Twain National Forest to be reinvested into the project area and future restoration work.
In 2021, Turkeyfoot Road (Forest Road 2108) was also reconstructed utilizing retained receipts. Without that mechanism, the $57,000 project cost would not have been possible to cover with regular road maintenance budgets. It is located off of Highway JJ, southeast of Ironton, and provides access to many acres of Mark Twain National Forest for hunting or dispersed camping. Earlier this year, a group of conservation-minded citizens led by Dustin Hinkle, cleaned up trash dumps along Forest Road 2108. Between the repairs and cleanup, it is looking better than it has in years.
“We are thankful for this funding mechanism that helps us serve our visitors and improve ecologic conditions at the same time,” stated Ranger Ewing. “We hope next time people drive on a recently repaired Forest Service road, or they see active timber management on the Forest, they will have even more appreciation for the inter-relation of these projects.”
If you have questions or comments about roads, current projects, recreation opportunities, or anything else regarding Mark Twain National Forest, call any of our offices, M-F, 8a.m. to 4:30 p.m. District Ranger Ewing can be reached at our Potosi Office at 573-438-5427. The office in Rolla can be reached at 573-364-4621. Questions can also be emailed to sm.fs.marktwainnf@usda.gov. Stay informed about the Forest by following us on Facebook.