RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Is surfacing a good choice for trail management? Evidence from four high-use hiking trails in Hong Kong
JF Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
FD Soil and Water Conservation Society
SP 600
OP 608
DO 10.2489/jswc.2022.00143
VO 77
IS 6
A1 S.L. Ng
YR 2022
UL http://www.jswconline.org/content/77/6/600.abstract
AB Trail degradation is a common management problem in protected areas around the world. To prevent intensively used trails from degradation, they can be surfaced with durable materials. However, the surfaced tread may not necessarily provide full protection to the whole trail because the tread is just a part of the surfaced trail. A very limited number of studies have evaluated the performance of surfaced trails by empirically examining their conditions. Therefore, this paper collected data from 189 sample points along four high-use hiking trails in Hong Kong and examined the effects of surfacing, trail gradient, and their interactions on four trail condition indicators. The results indicated that, overall, both surfacing and trail gradient significantly affected trail conditions. Specifically, surfacing significantly reduced soil loss and soil compaction. Furthermore, the effects of trail gradient on width, maximum incision, and cross sectional area were significant among unsurfaced trails, but not in surfaced trails. These findings can supplement the existing literature by providing an understanding of relations between surfacing, trail gradient, and trail condition.