Stewardship - Trail Plan Review – Submission Requirements

The following is a list of information required for NCLWF staff to adequately review trail plans and provide approval as required by the Construction of Trails Guidelines (STW-009) established by the NCLWF Board of Trustees in 2017. All required information must be submitted by or on behalf of the landowner before approval can be issued. Where design approval is being requested before a construction contractor has been identified, a conditional approval may be considered. Submissions can be emailed to justin.mercer@dncr.nc.gov.

1. Location of the property with reference to NCLWF project number
2. Contact information for landowner – If the requestor is someone other than the landowner, this can be as simple as copying a representative on the email request.
3. Designer Qualifications – This does not have to be extensive, but a basic description of qualifications and experience is helpful. Examples of other trails designed are always helpful.
4. Builder Qualifications – As above, this does not have to be extensive, but enough to ensure that the builder has experience with sustainable trails. Though not required with otherwise acceptable qualifications, NCLWF does prefer membership with a recognized trail building group, such as the Professional Trail Building Association.
5. Description of Trail – This description should be detailed and include elements such as intended uses of the trail, trail dimensions (length, width, slope, etc.), number and type of stream crossings (bridges are preferred in most cases), and special considerations. The trail description should address measures taken to ensure the stability and sustainability of the trail (both long term and short term) and how the design meets the elements of sustainable trail design.
6. Manner of Construction – If the request includes approval for construction, the manner of construction (hand vs. machine, full bench vs. partial bench vs. road-to-trail conversion) must be identified and the type of equipment to be used. Where heavy equipment is needed, access routes must be identified.
7. Map and GIS Shapefile – Requestor must provide a map sufficient to understand the intended trail alignment and associated infrastructure. Inclusion of contours and/or terrain features is helpful. In addition, a GIS shapefile for use in ArcGIS Pro is strongly preferred.
8. Management and Maintenance Plan – This must demonstrate that the landowner has considered maintenance needs and has a plan for addressing those needs in the future. In instances where trail maintenance will be performed by volunteers or another third-party group, that landowner must acknowledge that maintenance is ultimately their responsibility. In most cases, a maintenance plan should address tasks such as frequent inspections, deberming, cleaning grade dips, closure during wet periods, etc. It should not only address the identification of problems but also give some indication of a strategy for addressing and/or preventing problems.