Examining the Effect of Public Hiking Trail Use on Soil Loss and Stream-Bottom Embeddedness in First-Order Vermont Streams
Clauss, Sarah K.
Clauss, Sarah K.
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Abstract
Erosion of hiking trails is a key management issue. This study investigated the relationship between trail characteristics, trail soil loss, and sediment loading in trail-adjacent streams. Nine paired trail-stream sites and one unpaired forested stream site were monitored for stream-bottom embeddedness, macroinvertebrate community composition, and soil incision on trails. Regression analysis was performed to determine the relationships between trail characteristics, soil loss, and embeddedness. There was no significant correlation between trail characteristics, soil loss, and embeddedness, but embeddedness was correlated to stream gradient, suggesting that natural geography has more impact than recreational land use on sediment dynamics in forested streams.
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Date
2022-01-01
Student Status
Undergraduate
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virtual-oral-presentation
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Environmental Sciences
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Rubenstein School of Environmental and Natural Resources
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Food & Environment Studies
Biological Sciences
Biological Sciences