This Land, Your Land

If you're interested in how hiking, biking and bridle trails in North Carolina National Forests are managed, consider participating in a series of workshops to develop a non-motorized trail strategy next year.

Forest Service officials say they hope a "wide range of trail-user groups, individuals who represent local communities and ecotourism, or individuals not represented by larger user groups" will collaborate to develop "recommendations for a comprehensive trail management plan for each national forest in North Carolina." Participants might also become volunteers to assist in implementation of the plans, a news release says.

Initial meetings to be held near each subject forest will focus on Pisgah and Nantahala forest trails in January, and Uwharrie and Croatan forest trails next summer.

January meeting dates and times in the western part of the state are posted at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nctrailstrategy along with an explanation of the program. Additional meeting times and dates are to be posted there, too.

Use of the more than 1,600 miles of non-motorized trails in North Carolina national forests has increased every year as resources used to maintain trails have been static or decreased, the news release says. Forest Service officials and users will work together to look at the trail systems and, officials hope, recommend how to make the best use of current and future resources.

Information gathered at workshops will also be used in work that begins in 2013 to revise the Nantahala/Pisgah National Forests Management Plan.