Art of Sustainable Trail Management

Examples from Across the Globe

The basics behind developing and managing natural surface, shared-use trail systems.

by Tony Boone, COO, Timberline TrailCraft

“The Art of Sustainable Trail Management” will teach attendees the basics behind developing and managing natural surface, shared-use trail systems. In 25 years, Tony has passionately led crews in sculpting over 850 kilometers of shared-use and purpose-built trails for mountain bicyclists of all ages and abilities around the world. His session will include examples from his work in China, Australia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Topics ranging from bench cut construction to rolling contour design will be covered. This session is geared primarily towards beginning and intermediate level trailbuilders, including volunteers, agency staff, and professional trail crews.

View This Presentation Online

About the Author

Tony Boone is a pioneer in the evolution and art of planning and creating sustainable trails for mountain bikers, hikers, runners, and equestrians, having completed over 400 successful trail projects encompassing fifteen U.S. states and nine countries. His accomplishments include the first official mountain bike patrol in Colorado in 1989, training eight International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Trail Care Crews (1997-2011), inspiring and conducting mechanized trail dozer training for IMBA Trail Solutions (2001), and contributing to three IMBA books: Trail Solutions: IMBA’s Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack, Managing Mountain Bikes: IMBA’s Guide to Providing Great Riding, and Bike Parks: IMBA’s Guide to New School Trails. During his career, Tony has taught over 3,000 students worldwide the art of sustainable trail design, construction, and management.

Currently, Tony is the owner of Tony Boone Trails and the Business Development Specialist for Timberline Trailcraft. Tony holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Animal Science, and a Master of Education focused in Outdoor Adventure Recreation.

Contact: [email protected]

More articles by this author

More articles in this category

Safe Routes to Parks

posted Sep 26, 2023

Adults living within a half mile of a park visit parks and exercise more often, but according to the 2014 State Indicator Report on Physical Activity, less than 38 percent of the U.S. population lives within a half mile of a park.

Guidelines for Managing and Restoring Natural Plant Communities along Trails and Waterways

posted Sep 18, 2023

These guidelines are designed to assist resource managers in conducting management activities that enhance the quality of natural plant communities, wildlife habitat, regional landscape integrity and visual quality, particularly as related to planning, development, and maintenance of trails, water trails, and water access sites.

Q&A: Trail Construction Costs, Risks, and Tips for Success

posted Aug 28, 2023

Q&A from the 2021 webinar Trail Construction Costs, Risks, and Tips for Success

Naugatuck River Greenway Trail Cost Estimates

posted Aug 28, 2023

The Naugatuck River Greenway (NRG) is an officially designated Connecticut State Greenway, consisting of the open and green spaces along the Naugatuck River. Greenways are corridors of open space that may protect natural resources or provide recreational opportunities, and typically follow a natural feature like a river or manmade features like a canal or disused rail bed.