The U.S. Forest Service is responsible for over 370,000 miles of roads and around 160,000 miles of trails, much of which are on federal lands. But a government report from 2013 found that only about a quarter of these trails met safety or maintenance standards. Even more recently, in November, an internal report from the agency showed a 100% loss of trail staff and widespread declining morale.
What do we lose when we don’t maintain our trails? What do these trails across the country, and in Oregon, tell us about our history? And what challenges do staff and volunteers maintaining these routes face today? Dillon Osleger is a writer and public lands analyst. His forthcoming book “Trail Works” will be released in May, and he recently had a story in RE:PUBLIC and High Country News. He joins us to answer these questions and more.
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