Field staff are establishing a permanent transect to measure changes in trail conditions along this trail. A self-leveling laser was used to set up the transect and the diagram illustrates how vertical measurements are collected to compute cross-sectional area soil loss measures.
Jeff Marion, Ph.D. (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Sustainable Management of Campsites: Research on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails
Current and increasing visitation to protected natural areas has the potential to negatively impact natural resources and threaten the quality of visitors’ experiences. In backcountry and wilderness settings land managers have often allowed visitors to select and create their own campsites, which surveys reveal are often close to water, formal trails, and other campsites. This research is focused...
Sustainably Designed Trails: Recent Recreation Ecology Findings on Design Factors Affecting Soil Loss
An estimated 146 million Americans participated in more than 10.9 billion outdoor recreation activities in 2017. Virtually all protected natural areas have recreational trails as an essential infrastructure component to accommodate these outdoor recreation activities and visitor access, supporting a diverse array of opportunities and experiences that include nature study, hiking, camping, mountain...
Research and Management of Informal (Visitor-Created) Trails in Protected Areas
Protected area managers provide formal trail systems to accommodate recreational visitation on resistant “hardened” treads, while protecting off-trail vegetation, soils, and wildlife. When formal trail networks fail to provide visitors the access and experiences they require, visitors frequently venture “off-trail” to fish, hunt, explore, climb, or engage in other off-trail activities. Even...
Assessing Recreational Impact to Cliff Habitats and Rare Plants
Protected natural areas, including parks, forests, wilderness, and wildlife refuges, have a dual mandate to protect natural resources and accommodate recreational visitation. Recreational activities that occur on trails (hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding) and on recreation sites (picnicking, camping) can benefit from the development of a sustainable infrastructure of facilities that...
Trail Transect to Measure Soil Loss
Field staff are establishing a permanent transect to measure changes in trail conditions along this trail. A self-leveling laser was used to set up the transect and the diagram illustrates how vertical measurements are collected to compute cross-sectional area soil loss measures.
Measuring Trail Degradation, Mudhole
Three field staff assessing trail conditions at one of more than 3000 trail transects along the Appalachian Trail. This transect sampled a rare mudhole in Vermont.
Three field staff assessing trail conditions at one of more than 3000 trail transects along the Appalachian Trail. This transect sampled a rare mudhole in Vermont.
Science and Products
Sustainable Management of Campsites: Research on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails
Current and increasing visitation to protected natural areas has the potential to negatively impact natural resources and threaten the quality of visitors’ experiences. In backcountry and wilderness settings land managers have often allowed visitors to select and create their own campsites, which surveys reveal are often close to water, formal trails, and other campsites. This research is focused...
Sustainably Designed Trails: Recent Recreation Ecology Findings on Design Factors Affecting Soil Loss
An estimated 146 million Americans participated in more than 10.9 billion outdoor recreation activities in 2017. Virtually all protected natural areas have recreational trails as an essential infrastructure component to accommodate these outdoor recreation activities and visitor access, supporting a diverse array of opportunities and experiences that include nature study, hiking, camping, mountain...
Research and Management of Informal (Visitor-Created) Trails in Protected Areas
Protected area managers provide formal trail systems to accommodate recreational visitation on resistant “hardened” treads, while protecting off-trail vegetation, soils, and wildlife. When formal trail networks fail to provide visitors the access and experiences they require, visitors frequently venture “off-trail” to fish, hunt, explore, climb, or engage in other off-trail activities. Even...
Assessing Recreational Impact to Cliff Habitats and Rare Plants
Protected natural areas, including parks, forests, wilderness, and wildlife refuges, have a dual mandate to protect natural resources and accommodate recreational visitation. Recreational activities that occur on trails (hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding) and on recreation sites (picnicking, camping) can benefit from the development of a sustainable infrastructure of facilities that...
Trail Transect to Measure Soil Loss
Field staff are establishing a permanent transect to measure changes in trail conditions along this trail. A self-leveling laser was used to set up the transect and the diagram illustrates how vertical measurements are collected to compute cross-sectional area soil loss measures.
Field staff are establishing a permanent transect to measure changes in trail conditions along this trail. A self-leveling laser was used to set up the transect and the diagram illustrates how vertical measurements are collected to compute cross-sectional area soil loss measures.
Measuring Trail Degradation, Mudhole
Three field staff assessing trail conditions at one of more than 3000 trail transects along the Appalachian Trail. This transect sampled a rare mudhole in Vermont.
Three field staff assessing trail conditions at one of more than 3000 trail transects along the Appalachian Trail. This transect sampled a rare mudhole in Vermont.