Thurston E, Reader R J
Department of Botany, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada.
Environ Manage. 2001 Mar;27(3):397-409. doi: 10.1007/s002670010157.
Many recent trail degradation problems have been attributed to mountain biking because of its alleged capacity to do more damage than other activities, particularly hiking. This study compared the effects of experimentally applied mountain biking and hiking on the understory vegetation and soil of a deciduous forest. Five different intensities of biking and hiking (i.e., 0, 25, 75, 200 and 500 passes) were applied to 4-m-long x 1-m-wide lanes in Boyne Valley Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Measurements of plant stem density, species richness, and soil exposure were made before treatment, two weeks after treatment, and again one year after treatment. Biking and hiking generally had similar effects on vegetation and soil. Two weeks after treatment, stem density and species richness were reduced by up to 100% of pretreatment values. In addition, the amount of soil exposed increased by up to 54%. One year later, these treatment effects were no longer detectable. These results indicate that at a similar intensity of activity, the short-term impacts of mountain biking and hiking may not differ greatly in the undisturbed area of a deciduous forest habitat. The immediate impacts of both activities can be severe but rapid recovery should be expected when the activities are not allowed to continue. Implications of these results for trail recreation are discussed.
最近，许多步道退化问题都被归咎于山地自行车运动，因为据称它比其他活动，尤其是徒步旅行，造成的破坏更大。本研究比较了实验性山地自行车运动和徒步旅行对落叶林下植被和土壤的影响。在加拿大安大略省博伊恩谷省级公园，对4米长、1米宽的车道施加了五种不同强度的骑行和徒步（即0、25、75、200和500次通过）。在处理前、处理后两周以及处理后一年分别对植物茎密度、物种丰富度和土壤暴露情况进行了测量。骑行和徒步对植被和土壤的影响总体相似。处理两周后，茎密度和物种丰富度降低至预处理值的100%。此外，土壤暴露量增加了54%。一年后，这些处理效果不再明显。这些结果表明，在类似的活动强度下，在落叶林栖息地的未受干扰区域，山地自行车运动和徒步旅行的短期影响可能没有太大差异。这两种活动的直接影响可能很严重，但如果不允许活动继续进行，预计会迅速恢复。本文讨论了这些结果对步道休闲的影响。
