Soil Trafficability and Wet Weather Management of OHV Trails.

Soil Trafficability and Wet Weather Management of OHV Trails Roger Poff, R.J. Poff & Associates, Nevada City, CA Determining when to open or close trails has been a challenge for OHV trail managers. Traffic on moist soils is beneficial because it compacts the tread. But too much moisture leads to rutting. The objective is to maximize the time trails are open when soils are moist without damaging trails and drainage structures. Typically, rainfall has been used as a criterion to open and close trails. But rainfall is at best an indirect indicator of tread moisture, and measurements are usually made some distance from trails. Soil strength is a more direct predictor of the potential for trail damage. Measurements of soil strength and soil moisture (trafficability) can be used to predict the potential for damage to native surface trails. Predicting the potential for trail damage during wet weather is a tool OHV managers can use to determine when to open or close trails. The method is most useful in cohesive soils that are subject to frequent wetting and drying cycles.