Tree Farmer - March/April 2010 - (Page 13)

A trail system opens your woodland to many recreational opportunities. Cross-country skiing, hiking, nature observation, hunting, snowmobiling, horseback riding, bicycling, and quiet reflection are some of the possibilities. Trails also provide the access needed to monitor woodland conditions and identify management problems, helping you lay the foundation for long-term woodland stewardship. At the most basic level, trails connect you with your woodland. Hikers, bicyclists, foresters, nature lovers, and others can all agree: There is something unique in the experience of traveling a woodland trail. If designed with sustainability in mind, a recreational trail can provide years of enjoyment. Here we discuss some of the issues you’ll want to consider as you design your trail. levels of tolerance for noise, effort in using the trail, speed of travel, or influence on the tread; and • You want to offer a high-quality trail experience for one type of user. How much will the trail be used at any one time, day, season, or year? As trail use increases, you’ll want to increase tread and clearing width and create a more durable tread. What quality of experience are you seeking? Design your trail to fit the user experience that you want to offer. Consider: • Physical ability of trail users (for example, reduce trail grade if you want to accommodate people with a range of physical abilities); • Exposure to personal risk (such as injury, getting lost) the trail has; • Duration of the experience (is it 30 minutes or 3 hours?); and • Purpose for the trail. If the trail simply leads to a destination, choose the shortest and easiest route. If the trail itself is the destination, choose the most interesting route. landscape that encompasses the trail. Use photos and maps to analyze the entire area, refining the trail location as you gather more information. Aerial photographs help you identify land uses on your property and neighboring properties (such as cropland, pasture, forest, river, lake), roads, trails, buildings, and utility rights-of-way. Look for photos in a scale of at least 4 inches to 1 mile, but preferably 8 inches to 1 mile. Photos are often available from the state department of natural resources (especially the state forestry agency), Farm Service Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, and websites. Topographic maps (1:24,000 scale) are helpful in hilly and mountainous terrain, especially if your trail covers a large geographic area. They show elevation changes, forest and open areas, rivers, lakes, wetlands, buildings, roads, trails, cemeteries, and other features. Topographic maps may be available from the U.S. Geological Survey, commercial CDs and DVDs, map dealers, and recreational outfitters. Soil maps and accompanying data tables describe the suitability of soil types for roads, structures, farming, forestry, etc. Soil maps may be available from your local soil and water conservation district, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, county Extension office, or websites. When evaluating large sites, other Determine Trail Uses The first step in trail design is to determine how the trail will be used, how much it will be used, and what quality of user experience you want to offer. Multi-use or single-use? Multi-use trails work if: • There are many primary users but only a few secondary users; • The trail is used in different seasons by different users; • The trail is designed and maintained to accommodate all users or it is divided into parallel treads; and • Clear rules are posted about how to behave (pass, regulate speed, etc.) when encountering other types of trail users. Consider a single-use trail if: • Different types of users have different Select the Corridor Perhaps the most enjoyable step in trail design is exploring the corridor to determine where to place the trail. A trail corridor is a wide swath through the Tree Farmer MARCH/APRIL 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tree Farmer - March/April 2010

Tree Farmer - March/April 2010
Contents
Cover Story
Create a Recreational Trail
A Life Spent in the Woods
Ties to the Land
Public Policy
Wildlife Matters
From your Committees

Tree Farmer - March/April 2010

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