Post by heymatt on May 5, 2009 21:37:13 GMT -6
I believe there are many things that players can do to preserve the forest on Flatrocks. I also believe that many players would try to help if they had some simple guidelines.
As a bit of background. There is a wilderness effort that is known as "leave no trace." It is an attempt to soften the impact of humans on fragile or scarce environments. I do not believe Flatrocks is a wilderness area, nor do I believe that Flatrocks starts as a healthy forest. So not only do we have to not damage the forest, we have to try to reverse the impact that we have made on the woods so far.
I would like to suggest guidelines for those who wish to "Leave No Trace." I hope that players would adopt some of the guidelines.
Your feet and the forest.
Wear as light a shoe as possible. Do not wear football or soccer cleats in the forest. Do not wear heavy military boots. Wear shoes that have minimal tread depth.
This may sound simple; "Watch where you walk." Small understory plants like the May-Apple cannot withstand being stepped on. This is incredibly important when you leave the main trail to search for a lost disc. When you drive from the tee, watch where your disc goes, mark it with a mental note. ( Don't look down in despair... keep an eye on the disc) Then walk the main path until you can turn off the main path, using the shortest path from the main trail. Return to the main path rather than blaze a new trail from the disc location to the basket.
When you leave the trail to find you disc or to throw, leave your bag on the main trail and take the discs that you need. Do not set your bag on top of the understory plants. Don't use your bag as a machete to clear a place to stand.
When setting up to throw, carefully place your feet among the understory plants. Try to avoid moving rocks and small logs.
Stay on the paths, don’t take shortcuts through the woods. Watch where you place your disc golf bag. Don’t break the small plants off when you place your bag for a shot. Don’t drag your bag.
Try carrying a smaller bag when you play. The less weight you carry the less the soil will compact. This is especially true in wet weather.
Avoid playing Flatrocks when it is wet and muddy. If you really want to play, consider playing only the field holes. When the trails are fragile they are rapidly impacted by players. Walk through mud/puddles to avoid widening the trails.
Keep the party size small. How much is small? Generally, you want to keep the size at six or under. Less is even better. The reason is that the trail size made by a larger group is wider than a smaller group. When in large groups walk single file.
Walking in the forest causes soil compaction and soil erosion. These two problems damage the ability of the forest to sustain understory plants that are the future forest.
Every step taken in the woods damages the forest. The forest will respond and attempt to heal damage. If the damage occurs faster than the forest can heal, permanent damage will result.
As a bit of background. There is a wilderness effort that is known as "leave no trace." It is an attempt to soften the impact of humans on fragile or scarce environments. I do not believe Flatrocks is a wilderness area, nor do I believe that Flatrocks starts as a healthy forest. So not only do we have to not damage the forest, we have to try to reverse the impact that we have made on the woods so far.
I would like to suggest guidelines for those who wish to "Leave No Trace." I hope that players would adopt some of the guidelines.
Your feet and the forest.
Wear as light a shoe as possible. Do not wear football or soccer cleats in the forest. Do not wear heavy military boots. Wear shoes that have minimal tread depth.
This may sound simple; "Watch where you walk." Small understory plants like the May-Apple cannot withstand being stepped on. This is incredibly important when you leave the main trail to search for a lost disc. When you drive from the tee, watch where your disc goes, mark it with a mental note. ( Don't look down in despair... keep an eye on the disc) Then walk the main path until you can turn off the main path, using the shortest path from the main trail. Return to the main path rather than blaze a new trail from the disc location to the basket.
When you leave the trail to find you disc or to throw, leave your bag on the main trail and take the discs that you need. Do not set your bag on top of the understory plants. Don't use your bag as a machete to clear a place to stand.
When setting up to throw, carefully place your feet among the understory plants. Try to avoid moving rocks and small logs.
Stay on the paths, don’t take shortcuts through the woods. Watch where you place your disc golf bag. Don’t break the small plants off when you place your bag for a shot. Don’t drag your bag.
Try carrying a smaller bag when you play. The less weight you carry the less the soil will compact. This is especially true in wet weather.
Avoid playing Flatrocks when it is wet and muddy. If you really want to play, consider playing only the field holes. When the trails are fragile they are rapidly impacted by players. Walk through mud/puddles to avoid widening the trails.
Keep the party size small. How much is small? Generally, you want to keep the size at six or under. Less is even better. The reason is that the trail size made by a larger group is wider than a smaller group. When in large groups walk single file.
Walking in the forest causes soil compaction and soil erosion. These two problems damage the ability of the forest to sustain understory plants that are the future forest.
Every step taken in the woods damages the forest. The forest will respond and attempt to heal damage. If the damage occurs faster than the forest can heal, permanent damage will result.