The biblical perspective of natural resource use says people are the reason for Creation, and the most important part of it. That gives their needs precedence over just about everything else. That’s not the same as human whims and wishes. Our duty to the Creator is to keep in mind we are just borrowing His creation.
The aim in trail making is to minimize human impact. The number one consideration is to avoid erosion. Current four-wheeler paths in the woods near my home have already had a negative impact. Wishing to avoid this mistake, there are several measure I take in choosing and clearing alternate trails.
1. Mulch in place. The idea is not to remove foliage but trim it back. I use a limb-lopper, which resembles a bolt-cutter, but designed for cutting tree limbs. Instead of cutting and removing, I take the extra time to chop up the limbs where they hang, nibbling it down in short pieces until it’s out of the way. I let the clippings drop to the ground. The act of riding bikes through the grassy undergrowth will probably kill some of it, and expose the ground in places. We want to minimize this. The next best ground cover is leaves and twigs, pushed into the soil to hold it in place. This allows riding when the ground is wet and minimizes the wallowing effect we have seen with four-wheeler tracks.
2. Path of least resistance. My ax should see little use, and the limb-loppers the most. Most of the time I detect a natural route, and the only major cutting is thickets of vines. The thorny stuff will get cut and tossed off away from the path for obvious reasons. They serve a natural purpose but are a serious problem for human usage. Other vines will be nibbled down like limbs, along with small shrubs. To avoid having the four-wheeler spoil the bike paths, we will weave a path too narrow for them between large trees. Curvy, zig-zagging trails are more fun, anyway. At the same time, paths cut by previous land owners will be used as much a possible.
3. Flatter is better. It’s a lot of fun riding over hilly terrain, but sudden climbs or drops are hard on my old joints. They are even worse for controlling erosion. By taking a route which runs alongside the slope for a slower change in elevation, we minimize creating a wash where fast water flow strips the soil face. Besides, a longer trail is more fun; we aren’t in a hurry to get to the other end since we aren’t really going anywhere.
4. Recover exposed soil areas. There is a portion of the area which was stripped for sand excavation. It’s right in the middle, and no path can avoid it. There is a sort of earthen dam to permit trucks to cross the lowest part where the water table is high which we will use. As one might expect, some of this has eroded, but the thing has been there so long it’s now part of the landscape. On the crown of this dam we’ll be spreading chopped deadfall wood, bark and some dead grasses to keep the soil stable as possible. Riding across this will help grind it into the surface for a solid path. The loose powdery sand in this area is really hard to ride through, anyway.
We hope to establish a trail system which will serve as good recreation for as long as the property remains undeveloped.
