[Wuffles]

So a couple of my favorite riding spots have gotten burned out in this latest round of wild fires. Already talking with the trail crew on rebuilding plans, but no one in our group has actually done any trail digging on burned-out ground. I know ash is a terrible surface to start with and you have to dig past it to get actually durable ground, but anything else to watch out for?

Also looking for suggestions on what to do with a slope that's now just a steep moonscape missing all of it's trees. We're thinking it's too much of an erosion/mudslide risk to even touch until some vegetation grows back in a few years, anyone have experience with this?

 

[Bikael Molton]

Once it's a moonscape, yes erosion will be extremely bad. How bad and for how long depends on your local flora, soil composition, the grade of your trail, and how the drainages work in your zone.

What used to be a trail will look very different after this winter.

Where are you located?

 

[kidwoo]

So a couple of my favorite riding spots have gotten burned out in this latest round of wild fires. Already talking with the trail crew on rebuilding plans, but no one in our group has actually done any trail digging on burned-out ground. I know ash is a terrible surface to start with and you have to dig past it to get actually durable ground, but anything else to watch out for?

Also looking for suggestions on what to do with a slope that's now just a steep moonscape missing all of it's trees. We're thinking it's too much of an erosion/mudslide risk to even touch until some vegetation grows back in a few years, anyone have experience with this?

You're on the right track.
Depends a bit on the kind of dirt and how hot it burned but if you lost the packed bedded in surface, you're up shit creek at least for a while. Vulcanized soil takes a while to mix in with organic matter that helps it hold water and be packable. That stuff just slides and slides and slides downhill. Not ash but it's also not exactly dirt anymore. If the fire moved through pretty quickly you might be able to dig down to real dirt that didn't get cauterized the hell.


Where you at?

 

[Wuffles]

Once it's a moonscape, yes erosion will be extremely bad. How bad and for how long depends on your local flora, soil composition, the grade of your trail, and how the drainages work in your zone.

What used to be a trail will look very different after this winter.

Where are you located?

You're on the right track.
Depends a bit on the kind of dirt and how hot it burned but if you lost the packed bedded in surface, you're up shit creek at least for a while. Vulcanized soil takes a while to mix in with organic matter that helps it hold water and be packable. That stuff just slides and slides and slides downhill. Not ash but it's also not exactly dirt anymore. If the fire moved through pretty quickly you might be able to dig down to real dirt that didn't get cauterized the hell.


Where you at?

I'm on the west side, but the trails we're looking at are south of Omak in Washington, which is like allll on fire right now, Cold Springs fire complex.

Usual soil is that sort of sandy high desert scrub, lots of pine trees around, similar to most of the the east side of WA and OR and parts of North Cali, think Bend or Tahoe.

 

[kidwoo]

Gonna be while. See if you can dig down past the vulcanized stuff. But I'd wait for some rain. That shit is nasty to walk around in and you'll end up in a dust cloud of emphysema.

 

[toodles]

We get munted by bushfires pretty regularly. Are your environmental groups cool or nah? cos they will go crazy if you're seen rebuilding in burn zones - at least our do.

Start with the rockiest trails you have if you're just clearing them to make them rideable again. Leave the organic soil ones for a season or they'll end up ruined for years. I've got no idea on your weather but we normally clear the flatter ones first, and wait until a bit of rain before touching anything with incline. The regrowth popping through is the bare minimum I'd say.

 

[kidwoo]

Are your environmental groups cool or nah?

 

[Pesqueeb]

I don't know who you might talk to in particular, but locally, COMBA has built or maintains trail throughout several CO burn scars, Buffalo Creek, most famously. Perhaps you could fire off an email to someone there and they might at least be able to point you in the right direction? @Full Trucker might know more.

 

[FlipFantasia]

could be in for a rough time depending on terrain and fire intensity as Kidwoo said...Tenquille Lake trail outside of Pemberton was probably one of the best loamy descents in the Sea to Sky before it burnt it 2009. Was a large, hot fire and all the organics got burnt leaving a super rocky and chunky trail, with not much they could do other than clear dead fall and wait....11 years later and its still pretty chundery

 

[SinatorJ]

Following this thread as we have been going thru same ordeal in Flagstaff since 2010. Our forest has had 2 major wildfires derail the progress of building new trails. The local chapter of the Sierra Club wanted to take the area and make it no users in the area. We are now finally gaining traction with a full scale proposal for new trails and adoption of social trails.
My recommendation is be patient and have an open ear. Long fight ahead for u guys.

 

[Full Trucker]

I don't know who you might talk to in particular, but locally, COMBA has built or maintains trail throughout several CO burn scars, Buffalo Creek, most famously. Perhaps you could fire off an email to someone there and they might at least be able to point you in the right direction? @Full Trucker might know more.

I don’t know shit about shit. But I think the soil over in Buff Crick is all DG so it was pretty shitty to begin with.

 

[Bikael Molton]

DG get eroded really crazy though.

 

[WestCoastHucker]

while fires suck, every time they rip thru our trail systems, the rebuilding is so much better than before. the new clear landscapes allow us to build new stuff that was previously unknown or unbuildable...

 

[Wuffles]

Good stuff all, thanks. Current plan is to wait until it rains and clears off the ash to even start assessing. Looks like some different locations are in our future.

So suggestions for new trail techniques/features, what have you put in to your trails recently that you like (or didn't like)?

 

[Redwood Mulch Chucker]

Sad times for Santa Cruz County. Lots of the steep redwood mulch trails that the bike industry shot many a video on now look like this:

Redwoods are usually OK after fires, but the litter on the ground was so deep after not burning for 80+ years that many trees have had their root systems burned and damaged and will be in danger of falling when the storms come.

I am investing heavily in jute netting and wattle to help our own little piece of land, going to be a scary and depressing winter.

 

[Redwood Mulch Chucker]

The UCSC trails down lower towards town did not burn, but have not escaped damage.
Swetteness/Evans/Jumaji is now a dirt road.

 

[Andeh]

Thanks for posting that. That's a real bummer, that was one of my favorite trails down there. I had planned on taking a day off work to do a "staycation" ride the Friday after all those fires started - was really looking forward to riding some different stuff for the first time all summer.

 

[Bikael Molton]

J*gz got toasted, right?

The UCSC trails down lower towards town did not burn, but have not escaped damage.
Swetteness/Evans/Jumaji is now a dirt road.

 

[Redwood Mulch Chucker]

J*gz got toasted, right?

I haven't made it over there yet, but I assume so with yapping perros verified burned.
I saw video of someone driving up the shuttle road with fire on both sides.

 

[Bikael Molton]

That’s terrible.

that trail was so fing fun when it was new 12 years ago or whatever.