Table of Contents
- Types of Wetlands
- Environmental and Accessibility Compliance
- Field Work
- Wetland Trail Structures
- Structures Requiring Foundations
- Finishing Details
- Floating Trails
- Construction Materials
- Construction Tools
- Tools for Drilling Holes in Wood
- Tools for Digging Holes
- Practicing the Craft
- Appendix A-Field Note Sheets
- Appendix B-Slope Conversion Table
- Appendix C-Comparison of Round and Rectangular Culverts
- Appendix D-Sizes of Hot-Dipped Galvanized Nails
- Appendix E-Table of Board Feet
- Appendix F-Metric Conversions
Any document concerning trail construction must recognize the men and women who do the field work-whether they are professionals or volunteers. Some of the most unforgettable and fun-loving people we have known have worked on trail crews.
None of the construction techniques in this document are new. Most have been used for decades. Fortunately, trail crews took the time to explain and demonstrate the construction techniques to us. The techniques described in this manual have occasionally been modified slightly to make it easier to work with contemporary materials.
Christy Fischer was responsible for the initial editing of this manual. Thanks also to the staff at the USDA Forest Service Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC), who obtained additional photographs, scanned figures, provided review and additional content, and edited, laid out, and printed this document. This work involved Bert Lindler, Sara Lustgraaf, Mark Wiggins, Merv Eriksson, Jacob Cowgill, Bob Beckley, Lara Newburn, Michelle Beneitone, and Jerry Taylor Wolf. Bob Steinholtz drew the illustrations used throughout this manual. Thanks also to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recreational Trails Program for funding additional distribution of this manual.