I had the chance to see road building in the woods at a seminar held in the Tillamook State Forest recently.

The Oregon Department Of Forestry Takes Charge Of The Woods

ODF and Natural Resource Specialists Jahmaal N.K. Rebb and Pat Dunlap were on hand with three pieces of equipment to demonstrate the workings of the machines and setting up a trail for motorized access into a forested landscape.

Getting A Look At The Finished Project

Before the trail making began, the group walked a current track that is well used by ATV enthusiasts to get an overall idea. As the day went on, the volume of people in the forest increased. Those wanting to enjoy the woods for recreation geared up and set out onto the trails with areas for Class I (Quads), Class II (Four-Wheel Drives), Class III (Motorcycles) and Class IV (Side-by-Sides). There are even equestrian and walking trails through the forest at this site. Work in the woods including trail building and logging operations go on while groups continue to use areas for recreation.

The new trail was to be set up specifically for youth riders and while you may not be planning to make trails for dirt bikes in your forest the plans would start the same.

• Know your woods (where are the slopes, water areas, unstable ground)
• Know what you want to accomplish (how much access you want from a walking path to hauling roads)
•  Make a plan (including turns and drainage) and adjust as needed.

At The Site

To begin the demonstration, Jahmaal and Pat reviewed with the group an area near a parking lot that looked like a fairly open spot with large trees located throughout the plot.

After review of the sitemap that marked slopes and swamps it was time to begin the layout of the proposed trail. The group walked the woods path plan and marked the proposed trail with biodegradable ribbons.

A Rough Cut Into The Forest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the layout was complete, Pat took the controls of the mid-sized machine and showed the capabilities of mechanization to begin the rough cut into the track while Jahmaal worked with a chain saw to clean up fallen and damaged trees that were blocking the proposed path. It took only a matter of minutes for the shape of the trail to wind its way through the tall timbers.