published Feb 2020
The best answer that you will get for how wide a trail should be is “It depends.”
published Aug 2019
The Wildlife and Trail Planning Checklist is a sequence of wildlife-related questions and possible steps to consider in planning a trail.
published Sep 2018
Planning Trails with Wildlife in Mind
published Sep 2018
The checklist focuses specifically on wildlife issues of trail planning and is designed to mirror comprehensive planning processes.
published Sep 2018
The checklist focuses specifically on wildlife issues of trail planning and is designed to mirror comprehensive planning processes.
published Sep 2018
Encouraging visitors to stay on the trail is the most important issue, and is made easier by providing attractive, well-designed trail systems. Managers should also identify populations of plants that have been designated as threatened, endangered, or sensitive.
published Sep 2018
A trail’s area of influence should be planned and managed as an integral part of the trail. This influence zone should provide recreationists with meaningful interactions with nature, without infringing on sensitive habitat.
published Sep 2018
Protecting large, undisturbed areas of wildlife habitat should be a priority. Deciding whether or not to build a trail that may contribute to fragmentation is a tradeoff that the local community or land manager will have to make.
published Sep 2018
Looking at resources from a regional or landscape-wide perspective helps identify where trails should go and which areas should be conserved for wildlife.
published Sep 2018
The construction of a trail is just one impact on the habitat it passes through. The activities of visitors and the response of wildlife are also components of the long-term trail impacts.
published Sep 2018
Offering wildlife interpretation and environmental education to trail users can play an important role in reducing impacts to wildlife. People more readily protect what they understand and appreciate.
