Understand and apply common maintenance specifications/trail management objectives such as corridor height/width, tread width, cross/outslope, protrusions, obstacles, and water management techniques.
Demonstrate ability to assess trail conditions, identify causes of trail degradation (i.e. water, grades, soil conditions, users, and/or use patterns), and appropriate actions to address the deficiencies.
Safely use chainsaws and other power tools in trail development and maintenance and resource management.
Use hand tools to safely remove small standing trees, hazard trees, fallen logs, brush, vegetation, rocks, or other impediments to trail tread construction to the specified trail corridor width and height.
Restore trail to its designed specifications for tread width, cross/outslope, protrusions, and obstacles using hand tools.
Mechanized Equipment. Restore trail to its designed specifications for tread width, cross/outslope, protrusions, and obstacles using mechanized equipment (e.g., compactors, mini-excavator, skid steer, trail dozer).
Construct/restore trail drainage features that decrease erosion , including knicks, grade dips, grade reversals, berms, ditches, and sheet drains.
Learn More
Appalachian Trail volunteers play an active role in managing water on the footpath since moving water and standing water can damage the tread surface and surrounding areas. This video presents concepts of trail alignment, presents how to mitigate…
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.…
Surface Water Control Techniques for Trail Maintenance - USDA Forest Service 1992 - 0823-2D01-MTDC - Missoula Technology Development Center. Learn routine maintenance to prevent water erosion on trails.
We rely on hand tools to lop branches, dig drain dips, remove slough and berm, construct waterbars and check steps, and much more. As a result, hand tools receive a great deal of wear and tear. Learn about the most common tool problems that are…
The use and maintenance of handtools involved in trail work.
In the fifth video of this series, we take a look at techniques for addressing erosion issues on trails in arid environments. We'll review techniques such as rolling grade dips (drains), check dams/steps, waterbars and berm removal - discussing the…
Further Education
Improve this skill
June 12 - 13, 2024
East Burke, Vermont
Custom Trainings
Hire Workers
Suggest a Resource
Know of a good resource for this skill? Let us know! From webinars, to workshops, to PDFs, we'd like to add them to our resource library.
Let us know
