First published in 1996, Lightly on the Land is widely regarded as the best traditional trailbuilding book available. Now the classic returns in a highly anticipated 2nd edition fully updated by the original author Bob Birkby and the team at the Student Conservation Association (SCA). Every chapter of the new edition includes fresh approaches, new ideas, and modern applications of traditional skills.
Lightly on the Land focuses on crew leadership and the nuts and bolts of trail construction and maintenance. It contains detailed instructions on many technical skills such as building with rock, felling and bucking, building with timber, bridge construction, transplanting, and environmental restoration. It gets down and dirty with tools, tool repair, knots, and rigging. New chapters focus on arid lands restoration and involving conservation volunteers.
Instead of photos, it uses hundreds of fine illustrations to depict specialized techniques such as surveying, rigging, stonework, chainsaw skills, timber joinery, and bridge building. These techniques are perfect for replacing your rickety freeride stunts with sturdy log rides and durable timber and rock structures.
When it comes to books about trailbuilding, IMBA recommends our Trail Solutions book as the best place to start. If you want to go more in depth on trail design, we suggest Natural Surface Trails By Design. But if it's trail construction that interests you, then "Lightly on the Land" is hard to beat.
Details: 304 pages, paperback, 7.25" x 9", black and white, illustrated
About the Author
Bob Birkby has led SCA work crews since 1983 from Arkansas to Alaska to the Grand Canyon. He has also been an instructor of the SCA Work Skills program since its earliest days. A writer by profession, he is author of the current editions of the "Boy Scout Handbook", the "BSA Fieldbook", and numerous other manuals on conservation and outdoor skills.
Price: $25
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