Illegal Trail Elimination & Road Surface Improvements

George Washington & Jefferson National Forests Update:

The Lee Ranger District (George Washington & Jefferson National Forests) plans to close several illegal trails that have opened up on some old roadbeds in Hampshire County, West Virginia. Several miles of illegal trails have expanded in size and number since their discovery this past winter. These formerly closed roadbeds will have to be ripped, water-barred, seeded, or filled with brush and logs to prevent continued illegal use. This particular area is within the Potomac watershed outside the Shenandoah River system. Erosion from user created trails can deliver sediment to the stream channels and subsequently degrade water quality downstream.

GW & Jefferson National Forests also continues to improve roads in Virginia’s Augusta and Rockingham Counties as part of their watershed improvement work. The North River Ranger District has filled potholes and applied gravel surfacing on two Forest Service roads. In addition, several miles of road surface as been rebuilt by adding shale (with approximately 800 tons of stone to be applied on top of the shale in the near future). These projects are being completed primarily to improve drainage, which will reduce soil movement and sediment delivery to stream networks in the area.