Arizona Trail Association

Desert Brushing Techniques

Summary

In the second video of this series, we take a look at how to clear the trail corridor of brush, focusing on techniques specific to the desert environment. Keeping the corridor clear allows users to stay on the trail safely, protecting the environment outside the managed impact zone. We present techniques for keeping both the volunteer and the plants from permanent harm in the process.

Overview

One important factor that we examine when we assess the condition of a trail is the effect that erosion is having upon the trail surface. This video covers three of the most obvious signs of trail erosion: loose rocks, cuts and areas of deposition. When we can identify the mechanism for erosion, we've taken the first step to knowing how to fix the problem.

This video series seeks to provide Arizona Trail volunteers an introduction to the basics of trail maintenance as a supplement to our in-person Trail Skills Institute sessions.

The ATA offers a Certificate of Completion for the Video Trail Skills Series. To qualify for the completion certificate, you must register through the ATA website here https://aztrail.org/get-involved/trai.... Instructions will follow.

To learn more about our in-person training opportunities, visit the ATA website at https://aztrail.org/get-involved/trai...

Trail Types Covered

General. All trail types are relevant.