PORC's primary effort is to keep the trails well
maintained. There are regular group trail maintenance days throughout the
year which are posted on the PORC Forum.
Typical trail maintenance involves controlling erosion by construction of
water bars or trail rerouting, removal of felled trees, trail reclamation
(opening the miles of trails that existed prior to the hurricanes of 2004
& 2005), and clipping of overgrown vegetation.
If you would like to participate in trail maintenance, feel free to come
out to one of our trail maintenance events. If you are unable to make the
events but would like to do some work on your own, be sure to follow these
tips:
* Sand Removal
Sand removal is a great way to improve the trails but it
must be done in conjunction with erosion control. Without proper erosion
control (water bars) being constructed during sand removal, the work
done will be short-lived as the next heavy rains will cause erosion and
sand will build up in the low-lying areas of the trail again. Additionally,
sometimes removing sand from the trail may actually accelerate erosion by
lowering the center of the trail, creating a "V" shape which increases
the velocity of the water. Again, putting water bars in to slow the
run-off will prevent this from occurring.
* Water Bar Construction
To make a water bar last, it needs to have dead wood at
it's core. Place
the wood diagonally on the trail so that the water will be directed
toward the low side. If there is loose sand, shovel that up
first and place it off of the trail beyond the far side of the
log. On the uphill side of the sand placed off of the trail (or off of
the trail on the downhill side) dig a trench at an angle and place the
dirt on top of the log. Next, remove the soil in front of the log evenly
on the uphill side, continuing placing the shoveled dirt on
top of the log. Continue this until you have shoveled out about 6 feet
back from the log. Then spread the mound of dirt over the log toward the
downhill side to give it a smooth transition. The water break should be
3 times wider than the height to keep the break from being abrupt.
Finally, cover the break with leaves, wood chips, and/or pine straw to
prevent erosion and pack the soil on the break by stepping on it or
pounding it with the flat side of the shovel. This should make a sturdy
water break which is effective and lasts for years.
* Post Storm Trail Work
Clean the trail by hand, removing sticks where needed. DO NOT RAKE THE
TRAIL CLEAN. DO NOT USE BLOWERS! Leaves & pine straw are Kevlar of the
trail & once removed the sand will take its place.
