RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Geomorphic impacts of horse traffic on montane landforms
JF Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
FD Soil and Water Conservation Society
SP 126
OP 128
VO 41
IS 2
A1 Rebecca M. Summer
YR 1986
UL http://www.jswconline.org/content/41/2/126.abstract
AB A long-term study was done to provide information on the impact of horse traffic on montane trails. The study, conducted in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, indicated that intensity of use is not the controlling factor in trail stability. Rather, the degree of soil erosion and sediment production is a function of the geomorphic processes active on a particular landform interacting with climatic events. Seasonal horse use is important in that it exposes the soil surface. Then, processes, such as sheetwash, rilling, gullying, and soil creep, can actively modify the trail. Lateral and vertical erosion on trail sections is largely governed by the landforms traversed by the trail.