Oregon Hikers

Howdy,

Longtime lurker. I backpacked to Upper Twin lake in the Bull of the Woods wilderness with my girlfriend last weekend from Pansy Creek trailhead via Mother Lode. I got pretty good at flinging sticks off the trail with my poles. What I was unable to fling so easily away were the huckleberry heavily encroaching the trail around Mother Lode creek.

Has anyone out there taken measures into their own hands when it comes to brush work in wilderness areas? While clearing brush from a creek area is my kind of Sisyphean rock to roll, I'd still like to use best practices when it comes to doing the job right.

Brett

Lop away, Brett. Brett, lop away.

boquillas wrote: ↑

July 9th, 2019, 4:28 pm

Has anyone out there taken measures into their own hands when it comes to brush work in wilderness areas?

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: The Forest Service doesn't generally encourage vigilante trail work and TKO, the sponsor of this website, works directly with the FS to coordinate volunteer trail work under FS supervision and according to accepted FS standards and practices.

To the best of my knowledge, from observing work done by real trail crews, the 'best practice' would be to cut back about 2 feet from the edge of the trail tread on each side, then gather the clippings and pile them off the trail. It doesn't need to be fully out of view, but certainly off to the side.

Speaking purely for myself, anything you can accomplish in that direction is probably all to the good.

Aimless wrote: ↑

July 9th, 2019, 5:09 pm

The Forest Service doesn't generally encourage vigilante trail work and TKO, the sponsor of this website, works directly with the FS

In other words, go for it if it needs doing, but don't post about it here.

Thanks, just a hypothetical situation proposed on behalf of a friend who is currently without internet access.

And usually you wait for the rainy season to end because then it won't grow back so quickly. The drier and hotter it is when you brush, the longer it takes to grow back.

Take a machete and hike like Jack from Romancing the Stone

cut at least 3 feet from center of trail and throw the material at least 6 feet from center of the trail

or cut a branch flush with the main trunk so it looks better

I use folding saw

FS is happy with this, although if you asked them they'd probably not give approval. liability

what the FS doesn't like is if you start digging, putting in logs and rocks and so forth. they're afraid you'll do damage.

In the case of such good deeds (which never go unpunished), I favor a cut limb or two to free up a trail. USFS does not like it if hikers, their own volunteers, or, hell, their own paid employees clear a trail without a decade of discussion and a monetary stipend or two to go out and do their job, excuse me, maintain the trails that they were administered to do. Of course, the odds of getting caught are pretty low considering most USFS employees don't leave the comfort of their office.

When in doubt, plead ignorance and ask for forgiveness. If that fails, let them know you are with Weyerhauser and are considering this tract for clearcut. They may even buy you dinner.

BigBear wrote: ↑

July 22nd, 2019, 11:28 am

When in doubt, plead ignorance and ask for forgiveness. If that fails, let them know you are with Weyerhauser and are considering this tract for clearcut. They may even buy you dinner.

The Forest Service that is all twisted up over the popularity of our trails ("heavens help us, so many people like hiking in beautiful places!") is the same Forest Service that is bending over backward to spend taxpayer funds to practically give away our land for clearcuts that primarily benefit the investors that bought most of the logging industry.

The irony is staggering.