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Climate Change: Trail Management Strategies

September 19, 2019 by Mike Debonis 2 Comments

This article previously appeared in the Spring 2019 Long Trail News.

I don’t know how much Long Trail pioneers thought about climate or bad storms when designing and building the trail. But after more than a century of trail maintenance and management, the Green Mountain Club is definitely concerned about our changing climate and its effects on the land today.

Climate change is a global problem affected by, and affecting, everyone on the planet. The club’s response is twofold. First, in our daily operations, we seek ways to minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

Second, we have adopted a strategic plan to guide us toward best practices as we design and manage our trails and supporting facilities to withstand increased hiker use and more severe and unpredictable weather. This aspect of preparing for climate change requires special attention.

It is essential to understand the magnitude and speed of climate change to predict how it might affect trails and the landscape. Scientists at the Hubbard Brook Research Station in the White Mountains of New Hampshire have been studying ecosystems for more than 60 years. Here is some of what they have learned:

The Northeast is getting warmer.

  • Extreme low temperatures are disappearing. Minimum temperatures have warmed more than maximum temperatures.
  • The annual average air temperature is increasing, and winters have warmed more than other seasons.
  • There are fewer days of even moderate cold. Compared with 1956, there are now ten fewer days with an average temperature lower than 32 degrees F in a typical winter.

Precipitation has increased.

  • Annual precipitation has increased on average 12 inches since 1956, which is substantial—nearly one quarter more rainfall in a year. And the increases aren’t distributed evenly. The largest increase is in summer, the least in winter.
  • There are more heavy precipitation and high-water days. Annual days with heavy precipitation (greater than 0.75 inches of water) have increased by 7.5 days on average since 1956.

Snow depth and ice duration have decreased.

  • Average snow depth has decreased by about a foot since 1956.
  • Mud season is longer, and mud season conditions occur in every month of the year.
  • Ponds, lakes, and rivers freeze later and thaw earlier.

Short term variability in weather makes it hard to see long term climate trends. Just recall how different the weather has been at Christmas the past few years: sometimes wintry, other times spring-like—but with no clear recent trend. This is what makes the Hubbard Brook data so useful. Examined over 50 to 60 years, the trends are very clear.

Rob Rives cutting blowdowns after an extreme weather event, Photo by Gable Krebsbach

What do these findings mean for the Green Mountain Club?

First, climate change is real and substantial, and likely to accelerate. We must take it into account in trail design and placement, bridges, shelter siting, water control, and invasive species management. For instance, bridges over large rivers, like the Winooski River Footbridge in Bolton, might be built higher (unfortunately making them longer and more expensive), while those over small streams might be designed to float out of the way of floods on tethers and be reset on their piers afterward, saving the cost of new material.

Second, climate affects people as well as the environment, so our approaches to public engagement must also adapt. For example, more people now hike in winter—many without snowshoes—so there is greater need for winter safety education. And the risks have changed, too: ice is more common and harder to travel safely than deep snow.

Our strategy is focused in three key areas:

1) Backcountry caretakers and educators
We must employ enough caretakers to manage increased use and provide public education, in a hiking season that may lengthen. They are the front line for trail and resource management at high use sites. Their presence in the past 50 years has been critical to the club’s success in handling heavy hiker traffic and protecting fragile ecosystems.

2) Technology, science, and best practices
Trails built today will likely be used for the next hundred years, so we have to use the best tools and practices available to ensure our work is durable and functional while not losing elements that make the hiking experience special.

3) Planning and funding
GMC collects information that helps us identify and develop contingency plans for areas on the trail susceptible to extreme weather events. We need to find more reliable revenue sources and establish robust financial reserves so we can respond to unanticipated extreme weather. As the pace and scale of weather events increase, we won’t be able to respond adequately if we can only afford our ordinary operations.

The club needs to remain flexible, strengthen our programs, and use the best available information to make decisions. We must have foresight and act now so trails in Vermont can withstand changes ahead and hikers can continue to enjoy recreating in the Green Mountains.

Filed Under: Stewardship, Sustainability, Trail

Comments

  1. Dinesh Patel says

    February 16, 2020 at 8:04 pm

    Love the article
    How about conservation land in towns where citizens are striving for recreation and big trails and thereby loss of trees plants more human and dogs presence and ruining the nature and climate impact
    What can we tell the towns to avoid large trails etc
    Climate impact is higher there by loss of plants birds animals etc
    Any article or data

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Adapting to Climate Change at GMC - Green Mountain Club says:
    January 30, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    […] Climate change is a global problem effected by, and affecting, everyone on the planet. In Vermont, GMC is already witnessing higher intensity storm events and erosion throughout the Long … At GMC, in our daily operations, we strive for sustainability and seek ways to minimize greenhouse […]

    Reply

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Camel’s Hump: Hiker Reflections on Their Backyard Mountain

June 26, 2025

Rising from the spine of the Green Mountains, Camel's Hump is home to scenic views, a wilderness feel with its undeveloped summit, and choose-you-own-adventure hiking options. The mountain's proximity to more populated areas like Burlington and Waterbury make it a popular and well-hiked destination, … Read more

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The Green Mountain Club is the founder and maintainer of the Long Trail - the oldest long distance hiking trail in America. Established in 1910 to build this trail stretching the length of Vermont, the club now also maintains the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and trails in the Northeast Kingdom in its mission to "make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people." Read more...

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Join a guided hike on the Short Trail this summer!

Join the Green Mountain Club’s Visitor Services Manager, Emily Mosher, for a hike on the Short Trail! Learn more about hiking in Vermont, the Long Trail and the Green Mountain Club, and tips to have a successful hike as we explore the 0.5 mile loop at GMC’s headquarters building in Waterbury Center. These hikes are open to hikers of all ages, from beginner day hiker to seasoned backpacker. Hikes take place on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 10am, and on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at 2pm. Allow about an hour with plenty of stops to explore.

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No RSVP necessary; for questions, email [email protected] or call 802-244-7037.