86 Forest Club Annual 



a few inches in the ground. These will turn the water and 

 prevent any great amount of washing, which might ruin a 

 trail. The number of water bars will vary with the grade of 

 the trail and the degree of slope of the side hill on which the 

 trail is located. It is much cheaper to put them in when 

 building the trail than afterwards. Under ordinary condi- 

 tions they can be located from 50 to 75 yards apart. 



In locating a trail, cliffs and rocky outcrops should be 

 avoided because powder work is very expensive. Occasion- 

 ally when a trail affords so many advantages that a high cost 

 is permissible a great deal of rock work can be done. The 

 two materials used for blasting are dynamite, which costs 

 from 10 to 15 cents per pound, and black bowder which is 

 about the same price. Dynamite, when exploded works in- 

 stantaneously with a sharp shock while black powder works 

 slower and exerts more of a shoving force. The cost of rock 

 work varies from $ .50 to $1.50 per cubic yard. 



In general in building trails the country should first be 

 reconnoitered and the route fully decided upon. The trail 

 should then be located by stakes or blazes and the route 

 cleared and brushed out to the specified width. The grading 

 work should then be done and the tread made the specified 

 width. Signs showing the distance from important points 

 and from water should be put in every mile if possible and 

 never less than every 4 or 5 miles. 



ROAD CONSTRUCTION. 



The use of a road largely determines the amount of work 

 which should be done upon it. Freight roads and stage roads 

 as a rule should be well worked and kept in good condition 

 and if there is a great amount of traffic they should be double 

 tracked or turn-outs made along the way, while for logging 

 purposes it is not so necessary to have a well worked road as 

 it is only used temporarily, the road being abandoned as soon 

 as the timber is cut. The maximum grade for the former road 

 should be 7 per cent, but for a logging road, especially where 

 all logs are hauled down hill, the maximum grade may be 

 greater but should rarely exceed 12 per cent, and then only 

 for short distances. Where roads are used for fire-lines, and 

 fire protection is more important than traffic, the only work 

 necessary is that of clearing the space. 



