Trail Depreciation Study at Wintergreen Resort, VA

 Along with other various tasks as a Forester at Wintergreen Resort in Virginia, one of my jobs was to determine the level of trail depreciation, or erosion, the hiking trails across the resort experienced over the past 5 years. Continuing off a previous study, I would use a garmin device to locate specific points on each trail 100m from each other and take trail depth and width, as well as root status in the immediate area. A variety of factors influence the rate at which trails erode. A possible reason for trail depreciation can be related to the elevation at which a trail is on a mountain. During a storm water flows down the mountain, the lower on the mountain, the more accumulated water. Another possible reason is the position of certain trails. Trails that run straight down hill act as large scale “drain” and therefore erode much faster. Additionally, new trail technology such as angled trail trains being found only on certain drains can influence erosion on those trails and not others. If more water is being drained out the side of a trail, the trail behaves less like a small stream during a storm. In conclusion, over the past 5 years, a majority of trails have seen an increase in depth and a decrease in width and will likely continue without the addition of strategically placed trail trains. 


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