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Nebraska Trail Planning Guide

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MAINTENANCE LOGS To facilitate your maintenance plan, create a maintenance schedule log to record what needs to be done and when it has been done. This is vital for the long-term care of the trail. Recording these maintenance logs provides those that care for the trail a better understanding of what needs to be done on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. It also provides a way to determine maintenance costs, trends of trouble spots, and needs that the trail manager will have to plan for in the future. Using mapping technology to track this information can give an even better understanding on how to plan for the long-term care of the trail. If your trail is highly used, located near a river or stream that could flood, contains built features, or has any other unique qualities, it is highly recommended that meticulous maintenance logs are kept. You may refer to them to solve future problems, and if a natural disaster occurs, it will help with the federal funding assistance you may be eligible to receive. Part of a maintenance log is recording unexpected issues and how/when they were resolved. This will help you in seeing consistencies and enable you to anticipate future issues. When documenting issues include, at minimum: • Location of issue • Date • Description of issue, including details such as length, problem, potential solutions • Photo(s) at all angles of the problem area (close up, far away, each side, etc.) • Who submitted the information (including phone and email address) • Issue resolution date and description The cost of trail maintenance varies widely based on the type and length of trail. Pricing out regular maintenance, to ensure the trail manager can afford the upkeep, is necessary for your trail to be successful and should be included in your maintenance plan. Revisit these costs annually to increase your trail maintenance budget as costs change and your trail network grows. TIME TO PAUSE Build reflection and celebration into your stewardship plan. Acknowledge all who use and help keep the trail maintained. Off-highway vehicle (OHV) trail at Halsey National Forest. Standing Bear Trail near Beatrice. Photo by Nebraska Tourism. 33 STEWARDSHIP AND LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT

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