OHV Trail Condition Monitoring Key to Sustainable Program

Roger Poff Explains Trail Monitoring to Volunteers

On April 18, Roger Poff, consulting soil scientist, gave a field demonstration on trail condition monitoring to volunteers at the Fouts Springs work center located on the Mendocino National Forest. The primary purpose of trail condition monitoring—known as the Green-Yellow-Red trail condition rating—is to prioritize and schedule trail maintenance. GYR monitoring can also be used to document long-term trends in trail conditions. The focus of the monitoring is on trail drainage and water control. Trail drainage affects tread sustainability and the potential for sediment delivery to watercourses.

A Rolling Dip with Functioning Catch Basin

The GYR monitoring process rates seven categories of trail condition:  Water Control; Erosion Off-trail; Sediment Traps; Tread Wear; Tread Width, User-created Trails; and Watercourse Crossings. Each category is rated as Green, Yellow, or Red, based on condition. Green indicates good condition, with no immediate need for maintenance; Yellow indicates maintenance will be needed soon; and Red indicates the trail is in poor condition and needs heavy maintenance, or possibly a reroute.

The monitoring form also includes 15 Cause Codes that are combined with GYR condition ratings to define the cause of the problem, and to suggest the action needed to correct the problem.

An interagency team developed the GYR trail condition monitoring form in 2003 as a revision of Section G of the 1991 CA Soil Conservation Guidelines/Standards. The revision was adopted by the Forest Service in 2004, and a similar version was included in the California State Parks 2008 Soil Loss Standard and Guidelines. Minor revisions to the Forest Service version were made in 2013.

The monitoring process was designed for use by OHV technicians and volunteers. With as little as one day of field training, and some follow-up coaching, most individuals should be able to assign a correct GYR condition class and cause code to OHV trails.

Wet Weather Soil Study - A New Trail Management Tool?

*QWR’s, Don Amador, recently helped the FS’s wet weather management study lead, Roger Poff, with field research on the Mendocino National Forest.  QWR thanks Mr. Poff, a leading soil scientist, for sharing his overview of this important project with our readers.

Roger Poff Explains Soil Study to FS Resource and Recreation Specialists

Forest Service Wet Weather Management Studies – R. Poff

OHV traffic on trails under wet conditions can damage treads and drainage structures. Determining when to open or close OHV trails has been a challenge for trail managers. Some have used seasonal closures; others have used rainfall. Both of these approaches have limitations.

 Poff Takes Soil Moisture Reading at Sample Site 

The USFS is conducting field studies to develop an evidence-based method for opening trails based on direct measurements of trail condition. Four pilot studies are underway, in the Pozo area on the Los Padres NF, the Stonyford and Upper Lake areas of the Mendocino NF, and the Sugar Pine area on the Tahoe NF.

Don Amador Pre-Sample Test Ride at Data Collection Site 

The field studies involve measuring soil strength and soil moisture, and correlating these measurements with observed levels of trail damage. This information is used to predict the risk of trail damage at different levels of soil strength and soil moisture. This prediction of risk can then be used to develop threshold values to determine when to open or close trails.

Test Site Recon with Roger Poff

This method will not be a “magic bullet” to solve all the issues related to opening and closing trails under wet conditions. However, it will be an important tool in the trail manager’s toolbox for managing trails under wet conditions.

The field studies will be completed by October 2014.

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