The U.S. Forest Service has more trails than it can maintain, according to a recent report from the United States Government Accountability Office. But according to officials with the Flathead and Kootenai national forests, Northwest Montana’s trails receive more attention than most, even in an era of declining funds.
According to the GAO report, the Forest Service reported it had done at least some maintenance on 37 percent of its 158,000-mile trail system during fiscal year 2012. The government agency estimates it has a backlog of work worth $314 million.
According to Flathead National Forest public affairs officer Wade Muehlhof, the forest usually maintains at least half of its trails annually. In 2011, workers and volunteers tended to 1,281 miles of the forest’s 2,257 miles of trail. In 2012, they worked on 1,611 miles. On the Kootenai, recreation program manager Mary Laws said the ratio is about the same, and workers usually maintain 800 or 900 miles of the forest’s 1,800 miles of trail.
But even with all the work that gets done, Laws said there is always more trail to maintain.
“We have more trails than we can maintain in a year,” she said. “You sometimes have to cut and run just so people can get out there.”
Laws said trail maintenance usually consists of clearing brush, cutting downed trees and maintaining drainages. She said workers usually visit some of the most popular trails three times a year; once in the spring to clear it of large logs, a second time to cut back brush and occasionally a third time to address any storms that may have come through during the season.
But some trails don’t need annual maintenance she said and can go a few years without a visit from a work crew. Muehlhof said officials go through and prioritize the trails that most need work.
Budget constraints often dictate what work can be done any given year. For 2013, the Flathead National Forest has budgeted $572,000 for trail work, a $134,000 decrease from the previous fiscal year. According to Laws, the Kootenai usually budgets $300,000 annually for trail work, but this year will only be able to put $242,000 toward the effort.
“I’d say in the last five years, we’ve been doing OK as far as funding,” she said. “But you have to look at everything, including the supplies you buy, the miles you can maintain and the people you can hire…It comes down to something as simple as ‘can we use that chainsaw for another year? Because we can’t replace it right now.’”
Laws and Muehlhof said continued budget cuts could hamper trail work in the future. But volunteer groups, including the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, could make up those shortfalls. Executive Director Carol Treadwall said the group was formed 17 years ago and does about $350,000 worth of work every year inside the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, which includes the Great Bear and Scapegoat wilderness areas. The group organizes nearly 40 project trips a year that can last anywhere from three to nine days each. The foundation boasts 400 volunteers from Montana and the surrounding region. In 2012, volunteers came from 25 different states to help.
“Seventeen years ago, people realized that trails were deteriorating and were frustrated that there wasn’t enough federal funds to do something about it,” she said.
Laws said volunteer groups are invaluable to places like the Flathead and Kootenai national forests and hopes to work with even more volunteers in the future.
To see the entire report, visit here. To learn more about the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, visit the foundation’s website.