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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAddenda - RFP - P982 BOBCAT RIDGE TRAIL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTON (13)FSH 2309.18 - TRAILS MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK WO AMENDMENT 2309.18-91-2 EFFECTIVE 11/8/91 CHAPTER 1 - TRAIL PLANNING 1.1 - RELATIONSHIP TO FOREST LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING. Plan and develop trails based on decisions documented in Forest Land Management Plans. Supporting environmental analysis shall tier to the Forest Plan environmental impact statement. Design the planning process to address the full range of significant issues (FSM 1900). 1.2 - PLANNING CONCEPT. Many of the general objectives for trails are in the Forest Plan or in more detailed area implementation programs. These plans may lack the specificity needed to guide field operations. Analyze specific concerns to make decisions about standards for a specific trail or trail system, maintenance schedules, funding, management of trail use, and priorities for construction and reconstruction. Recognize the need for more detailed planning when resource conditions change, new recreation opportunities are discovered, conflicts among users arise, or new public issues emerge. Consider trail plans in the context of a logical land unit rather than a single trail by itself. Establish trail objectives and associated management requirements by examining the interaction of resource activities, opportunities present, and constraints of the area. 1.3 - RECREATION OPPORTUNITY SPECTRUM CONSIDERATIONS. Use the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) System to help ensure that a suitable diversity of outdoor recreation opportunities are provided as a part of the natural resource benefits on National Forest lands (FSM 2310). Each management area prescription provides for one or more specific ROS classes. The location, design, and use of trails play a critical role in determining whether the physical, social, and managerial settings of a given ROS class can be maintained as intended in the prescription. (See ROS Users Guide, August 1982.) The configuration, quality, sequencing of environmental settings, and the landscape attractions are the basic attributes of a trail setting and user experience. 1.31 - Social Setting. Two conditions usually apply to trail management as it relates to the social setting of a given ROS class. 1. The type of use, specifically the mode of travel and mix of user groups. The most important consideration is the relationship between motorized and nonmotorized trail activities. 2. The volume of use, that is, the number and frequency of encounters between user groups and the impact of the amount of use on the adjacent physical setting. Provide for the appropriate types of use, such as motorized or nonmotorized, and the volume of use for the ROS class in the management prescription for each area. Design trailhead capacities and trail structures to help achieve the intended recreation volume within the management area and to minimize potential user conflicts. 1.32 - Physical Setting. Consider the following aspects of the physical setting of trails in each ROS class. 1. The location and design of the trail prism and appendant structures, including trailhead facilities. 2. The management of the visual resource provided by the characteristic landscape through which the trail passes. 3. The visual impact of the trail as it is viewed by others from locations away from the trail. Use the Visual Management System (VMS) to resolve the potential impacts of trails on the physical setting. (FSM 2380 and Visual Management System, USDA Agriculture Handbook 462, volume 2.) For the most part, the guidelines contained in USDA Agriculture Handbook 483, volume 2, chapter 4, "Roads," can be applied to the location and design of trails; only the scale of the facilities and the speed of travel may differ as applied to trails. 1.33 - Managerial Setting. Three considerations generally apply to trail management regarding the managerial setting of a given ROS class. 1. The management of trail activities and use. The management of trail users and the various activities users engage in include the use of formal regulations, signs, and physical barriers. Often the need for and amount of direct management actions are reduced through the imaginative use of trail location and design. 2. The stewardship of the trail facility. The impression of management concern for the trail facility is reflected by the quality of construction and maintenance given to the trail and related structures. Good stewardship on the part of management usually promotes good stewardship on the part of trail users. 3. Compatibility of other resource management activities with the intended use of the trail system. The intent of the management prescription for a given area is to integrate resource management activities so as to minimize potential conflicts. Carefully thought out trail location and design often aid in resolving or preventing conflicts. The application of the visual resource management system and adherence to adopted visual quality objectives within the trail corridor usually result in minimizing many of these conflicts. The timing of resource management activities to avoid predictable periods of use or seasonal restrictions on trail use also can mitigate conflict. 1.4 - ANALYSIS PROCESS. Use the environmental analysis process (FSM 1950) for making trail system management decisions. For the purpose of trail planning, this analysis must result in a management program for an areawide trail system. The analysis also must: 1. Define objectives and criteria for design, development, and operation to meet the appropriate intended recreation experience. 2. Define issues and management situations for specific trails in the system. 3. Evaluate current conditions and projected changes and trends, public issues, and management concerns. 4. Identify recreation and resource management opportunities enhanced by trails. 5. Establish priorities for implementation. 1.5 - INFORMATION NEEDS. Typical information needed for trail system analysis includes the following: 1.51 - Goals and Objectives. 1. Is there an approved plan for the area? 2. What are the general goals of the Forest Plan as they relate to the area? 3. What specific Forest Plan management objectives and prescriptions have been designated for the area? What other resource activities are likely to take place? 4. Within those prescriptions, what standards and guidelines might affect trail system design, operation, and administration? 1.52 - Recreation Opportunity Spectrum. 1. What Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) classes are provided within the area? 2. What are the major factors influencing recreation? (Examples are attractiveness, "usable" area, capacity, season of use.) 3. What transportation and recreation facilities exist in the area (base map information updated with inventory data)? 4. What recreation opportunities is the area intended to provide? What trails and setting attributes are important or critical for these opportunities? 1.53 - Public Issues. 1. What is the relationship of the trail system and its uses to private lands? 2. What public issues (such as concerns about trespassing, littering, parking, and traffic congestion) have arisen regarding the trails? 1.54 - Opportunities and Constraints. 1. Does a suitable location exist in the area to provide the proposed activity and recreation experience? Is a right-of-way needed across private property to connect public lands and offer the best travelway location? 2. Does an opportunity exist for providing supplementary facilities and appurtenances, such as trailhead parking, corrals, shelters, water and sanitation facilities, major stream crossings, registration/information and education facilities, and road and trail signs? 3. Can existing little-used or deteriorated facilities be renovated to offer the planned activity in lieu of new construction? 4. Can overuse and misuse of an existing facility be mitigated or eliminated by relocation, rehabilitation, or development of a new facility? 5. Are additional capabilities needed to enforce regulations and restrictions? 6. What are the long-range impacts of system operation and maintenance? 7. Are resources (such as funds, personnel, volunteers, and equipment) available for development and maintenance? 8. Are the necessary elements of operation (control, regulation, and maintenance) clearly defined in a trail management analysis? 9. Can stage construction methods be satisfactorily used to complement funding constraints? 10. Can impacts from the trail or other resources be tolerated or effectively mitigated? 11. What difficulty levels does the trail system offer? 12. Can a variety of recreation experiences be provided? 1.55 - Relation to Existing Facilities. 1. What is the current location, length, and condition of trails? 2. What is the current relationship between trails and other facilities, such as roads, trailheads, and campgrounds? 3. How are the trails currently operated--by regulations, barriers, signs, or information? 4. Are barrier-free trails available in the area? 5. Are interpretive trails needed within the area? 6. Do trails match the desired ROS experience objectives? 1.56 - Use Data. 1. How are the trails used--by hikers, snowmobilers, skiers? 2. How heavily are the trails used? 3. What groups use the trails (families, elderly, physically impaired, local residents, tourists)? 4. What are the past and projected trends in use (increased or decreased use, changes in use, introduction of new technologies, such as mountain bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs))? 5. Do conflicts occur among travel modes? Are the conflicts increasing? 6. Is the area suitable for the intended use? 1.57 - Other Resource Data. 1. What are the relationships between trail location and trail use, and trail location and wildlife habitat? 2. Are roads, timber sales, leases, or other special uses planned or likely to occur in the area? What is the relationship of planned special uses to the existing trail system and uses? How can a planned special use be designed to complement the trail system? 3. Is special planning required to protect cultural resources, habitats of threatened or endangered species, fragile soil, or vegetation and to diminish fire hazard? 4. Are there special conditions affecting trail construction and maintenance, such as heavy rainfall, shallow soils, or riparian areas? 1.58 - Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. 1. Does the facility maximize social and economic objectives, such as maximum recreation benefits and reduced administrative costs? 2. Does the facility minimize environmental damage, such as soil erosion and degraded water quality? 3. How are the trail objectives weighted in terms of importance? 4. How can cost-effectiveness be used to rank projects? 5. Does a favorable cost-benefit ratio justify development of a facility at this time? 6. Can other programs, such as timber sale roading, provide a portion of the need? 7. Are volunteers available for development and operation of the trail? 1.6 - ESTABLISHMENT OF PRIORITIES AND MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS. Consider the following items when establishing priorities and management requirements for trail projects. 1. Safety hazards to users. 2. Potential or occurrence of resource damage. 3. Intensity of trail use. 4. General location of the trail that will affect, or that will benefit from, other resource activities. 5. Preliminary cost estimates for construction or reconstruction. 6. Preliminary requirements for supplemental trailhead and other trail-related facilities needed to complement the trail system. 7. Program funding, availability of volunteer support, and scheduling of work. 8. Public desires. The combination of the above elements is important to decisions in the development of a trail management program. 1.7 - EXAMPLE OF PLANNING DECISIONS IN ONE TRAIL PLAN. The following section provides an example of a District trail plan resulting from the analysis process. Exhibit 01 illustrates the plotting of various projects on a map; Exhibit 02 shows the incorporation of a trail plan into the District trail inventory; Exhibit 03 illustrates the placement of a trail plan in the budget process. The four trails in the trail plan illustrate how safety, protection of wilderness values, availability of resources, need for preconstruction work and availability to the user influence priority, scheduling, and management requirements. 1. Big Rock Trail. This trail currently is used by motorized bikers; use is high and increasing. The lower 5 miles meet trail guide specifications except for brushing out. The upper 5 miles are less than standard and would require major reconstruction to meet the guides for motorized bike use. The difficulty level is more difficult. The area is managed for a roaded natural experience. There are limited opportunities for motorized biker trails in the area. Analysis of the situation resulted in a decision to reconstruct the trail to meet guidelines for a more difficult, high-volume, motorized bike trail consistent with the roaded natural character of the area. Preconstruction work is necessary for the reconstruction work. 2. Kawishiwi Trail. This is an established, four-wheel drive road in wilderness. The established trail use is low-volume, four-wheel driving and moderate-volume hiking. The area management goal is to eliminate illegal motorized use in this wilderness area and to naturalize sections of the four-wheel drive way. Inadequate parking at the trail-head is also a problem. An opportunity exists to use a common trailhead facility with the Moraine Trail. Analysis resulted in a decision to close the route to vehicles and allow it to revert to a moderate-volume, easiest level hiking trail. Barriers to close the route and fewer parking facilities are needed. Informational and regulatory signs are also needed. Actions are identified to hasten the return of this trail to a more primitive character. A short (1/3 mile) trail connecting the Kawishiwi Trail with the Moraine Trail is identified for construction to allow the use of a common trailhead. Planned use is consistent with the semiprimitive character and wilderness designation. 3. Moraine Trail. This trail currently is used for hiking in summer and cross-country skiing in winter. Cross-country skiing on the trail is increasing rapidly, but users complain of a 3-mile section with a rating of most difficult on a long trail that is otherwise rated more difficult. Preliminary reconnaissance indicates minor clearing of brush and small trees and marking of the trail is necessary. A local nordic club has volunteered to help on the project. This is one of few areas in this drainage where plowed roads provide winter access. Analysis of the situation resulted in a decision to reduce the difficulty of the 3-mile section and to manage the trail for moderate use at a more difficult rating. Increased maintenance of those 3 miles is required. Space is identified to expand the parking area and provide adequate parking to the shared trailhead with the Kawishiwi Trail. The desired recreation experience is consistent with the existing semiprimitive, nonmotorized character of the area. 4. Meadows Trail. The District identified a need and opportunity to construct a relatively short interpretive hiking trail to provide day hiking near a major campground. Analysis, based on estimated use, resulted in a decision to construct a high-volume, easiest level trail for hiking only. Other uses are prohibited. Planned use is consistent with the roaded natural character of the area. 1.7 - Exhibit 01 SEE THE PAPER COPY OF THE MASTER SET FOR SECTION 1.7 - EXHIBIT 01. 1.7 - Exhibit 02 EXHIBIT 02 IS A SEPARATE DOCUMENT. 1.7 - Exhibit 03 EXHIBIT 03 IS A SEPARATE DOCUMENT.