Need for Trail Volunteer Workforce Continues to Grow

Clearing 50-inch OHV Trail

Mendocino NF

Between April 27-30, 2017, up to 4 trail clearing crews comprised of certified volunteer chainsaw operators,  other volunteers, and Forest Service recreation staff worked together to clear recreation trails and roads impacted by downed trees and/or overgrown vegetation. 

Private Sector/FS Trail Clearing Crew

The coordinated effort took place at the Stonyford OHV Area on the Grindstone Ranger District which is located on the Mendocino National Forest in Northern California.  This is part of the ongoing volunteer trail program managed by agency staff in cooperation with private sector recreation stakeholders.

Trying out the Kobalt 80 Volt Electric 14-Inch Chainsaw

 According to the agency, the south end of the Grindstone Ranger District offers over 200 miles of some of the most enjoyable and challenging OHV routes in the nation. The "Mendocino OHV Corridor" is a designated 40 mile, east-west route across the south end of the Forest connecting the Stonyford OHV Staging Area and the Upper Lake OHV Staging Area.

Before Brushing on Trail 20

The riding area varies in elevation from 1,700 feet (at Fouts Springs), to almost 6,000 feet (near Goat Mountain). Vegetation varies from low elevation chaparral to tall pine and fir forest in the high country.

After Brushing on Trail 20

The Grindstone Ranger District not only offers access to high quality OHV recreation, but its extensive route network provides motorized access to non-motorized activities such as equestrian use and hiking in various Wilderness areas, fishing in streams and lakes, and dispersed camping in the backcountry.

Clearing Log on Forest Road M10 for Motorized Access

to Non-Motorized Recreation

The Forest Service states it established a policy for training and use of cross-cut and chain saws. Sawyers covered by those policies often maintain trails on national forests and grasslands, help fight wildfires, and work in wilderness where crosscut saws are required. The national saw directive standardizes training, evaluation, certification, and safety procedures for sawyers operating on lands managed by the agency.

LINK TO FS NATIONAL SAW POLICY

https://www.fs.fed.us/about-agency/regulations-policies/saw-policy

Volunteers taking the chainsaw course need to become Red Cross certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED.  It is a requirement for chainsaw certification. QWR encourages trainees to take the course well ahead of the chainsaw class.

Monitoring Soil Catch Basins/Trail Conditions 

Example of Functioning Sediment Catch Basin and Rolling Dip

Managing sustainable OHV and other recreation programs on federal lands is a complex challenge in the 21st Century.  QWR believes the need for a trained professional volunteer workforce will continue to grow as federal agencies roll out new programs such as the Forest Service’s National Trail Strategy or face fiscal impacts such as budget cutbacks.

A Motorcycle-Based Chainsaw/Swamp Team

Steve Freitas/Valley Climbers MC (L) and Don Amador (R)

QWR wants to thank the Mendocino National Forest, Oakland Motorcycle Club, Polka Dots Motorcycle Club, Valley Climbers Motorcycle Club, and the other work party volunteers for their commitment to helping maintain access to high quality motorized and non-motorized recreation on public lands.

Trail-based Volunteer Programs Don’t Happen by Accident.

Recent Pre-Event Recon for May Volunteer Project

Upper Lake Ranger District, Mendocino NF

QWR believes that substantive federal trail-based volunteer programs don’t happen by accident. 

The success of any volunteer program is directly related to agency and user commitment to both the process and the product.  

QWR understands that agency volunteer programs are simply just one tenet (albeit an important factor) of managed recreation on a Forest Service or BLM unit.

Field Recon with Local Club Representative from

Marin County Motorcycle Association

One aspect of user involvement is to participate with the agency on pre-planning for any large volunteer work project(s).    Often that pre-event planning requires meetings with recreation staff to review material needs for products such as cement, barriers, signs, tables, building materials, etc.

With reduced amounts of federally appropriated funds for recreation projects, there can be a role for users to play by helping secure construction materials via state or industry grants or private donations.  

One key planning tool is for OHV leaders to do a pre-event field-level recon of the project to ascertain the number of volunteers required and which specific skillsets/tools are needed to help the agency accomplish the task.

In areas where the agency is just beginning to staff up with recreation specialists, it will be important for trail enthusiasts to reach out to new FS/BLM staff.  Riders should invite agency leads to attend club meetings or go out for a tour of the area in OHVs.

It has been QWR’s experience that agency recreation staff are more than willing to go out in the field with the OHV community to discuss trail management, solutions to resource issues, and potential future projects. 

A field trip not only gives them an excuse to get out of the office but it is an important method by which both parties can build mutual trust and respect. 

There is a lot of truth to our trail motto which is: The quality of the unit’s trail program is directly proportional to the quality of the relationship that exists between the agency staff and user community.

Trail Management - Post-Fire Hazard Tree Mitigation Takes Collective Effort

QWR SxS Module on FS Post-Mill Fire Volunteer Project

Extreme wildfires have an immediate impact on OHV recreation such as public access bans in the burn area for periods of one year or longer.  They also destroy management tools such as trail delineators, signs, kiosks, and campground facilities.  Costly soil erosion and water quality trail structures can often be obliterated in the initial attack by dozers blading fire lines around the blaze.

While these immediate impacts and their associated mitigation measures are readily apparent, the long-term post-fire management efforts to address hazard trees (dead trees) falling across designated roads and trails for the next 2-15 years should not be overlooked.

As OHV users know, downed trees create a number of management issues which include completely blocked routes or riders creating impromptu reroutes to get around the obstacle.   The presence of hazard trees also requires both non-motorized and motorized recreationists to be aware of their surroundings when traveling through the forest.  Trail obstacles can impact both casual use and permitted events.

QWR believes it takes a committed partnership between the agency, volunteers, and other stakeholders to successfully manage a designated road and trail system on any National Forest.  This is especially true on units that have experienced a recent uncontrolled wildfire.

Team Effort to Clear Downed Trees

QWR suggests the best way for you to participate in volunteer trail management projects is to join a local OHV club that has an existing relationship with the Forest Service or BLM unit you like to visit.  If your local federal unit does not have a volunteer program, consider contacting them and inquiring how you can help partner with the agency. 

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.

GAO Issues Report on Forest Service Trails

QWR's Don Amador Helping FS Trail Rehab Project

 

The Western Congressional Caucus announced today that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its report regarding the maintenance of system trails on National Forest lands.

 

Link to GAO Report

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-618

 

In 2012, Rep. Lummis (R-WY), Rep. Simpson (R-ID), and Rep. Moran (D-VA) asked the GAO to analyze   various challenges faced by the agency to maintain over 158,000 miles Forest Service System Trails in motorized and non-motorized areas.

 

Volunteer Support for Trail Projects

 

QWR believes the report highlights the need for the agency to better utilize partnerships with volunteer groups and other trail stakeholders.  We also believe the report correctly notes how NEPA-related red-tape (and subsequent lawsuits) hinders the agency’s ability to effect on-the-ground services such as trail maintenance and environmental mitigations that both protect resources while allowing public use of route networks.

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