Volunteers clear trails
Posted on Wednesday, October 1, 2008
A few days after the remnants of Hurricane Ike roared over Benton County, the staff at Hobbs State Park knew there was a problem. A volunteer hiked Pigeon Roast Trail and reported 18 fallen trees covering parts of the trail.
With over 30 miles of trails in the park, as many as 60 trees might need to be removed, trail supervisor Al Knox estimated.
The call for volunteers went out.
On Sept. 19, volunteers and park staff met to begin the job of removing what turned out to be 49 trees.
A path approximately six feet wide is cleared for a trail, Knox said.
"Nature tries to reclaim them," he explained. When the trails are clear, hikers can see potential hazards such as snakes, he said.
Only the trees directly on the trails are cleared, Knox said. The cut pieces are pushed off into the underbrush for nature to reclaim. Most of the drowned trees were live trees. Branches and leaves catch the wind, which pushes the tree over. Dead trees were mostly still standing when the storm passed over.
In some cases, the large trees pulled over smaller trees, making cutting a dangerous undertaking. The smaller trees are liable to pop up when the pressure is released, Knox said.
Volunteer Bob Ross said working in the woods is enjoyable. He doesn't mind clearing trails, but he also enjoys his other volunteer job as a volunteer trail guide. A retired science teacher, Ross especially enjoys school groups.
He walked the trails earlier in the week and ran into a man who had spent the night of the storm in the woods.
"He said it sounded like bombs going off," he reported.
It took four days and several volunteers to finally finish the job, volunteer coordinator Christina Welch said. All 49 trees were removed along with debris that blew onto the trails. Once again the trails are ready to be enjoyed.
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