Hydrophysical degradation associated with hiking‐trail use: a case study of Hawai'iloa Ridge Trail, O'ahu, Hawai'i

Recreational activities can have significant impacts on geomorphic and hydrologic processes in drainage basins, often out of proportion to their areal extent. With increased stress on hiking trails nationwide, there is a need to characterize the impacts of human trampling on soil properties. We examine an 810 m segment of Hawai'iloa Ridge Trail (O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA). Soil compaction and surface erosion on moderate to steeply sloping sites have degraded the trail environment. Bulk density, penetration resistance, and vane shear strength were significantly higher on the trail than in adjacent undisturbed areas, with median differences ranging from 29 to 120 per cent. With compaction and exposure of subsoil on the trail, void ratio, air-filled porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, effective and preferential porosity were significantly lower, with relative change values ranging from 23–93 per cent. No significant changes were noted in meso- or micro-porosity, but macropores with a radius of >110 μm decreased significantly by 58 per cent for on-trail locations. This comprehensive dataset indicates that hiking stress is deleterious to the soil–hydrologic system. Data point to a trail system that would be dominated by Hortonian overland flow and this was supported by field evidence during a storm event. Increased runoff has incised rills on some trail segments and there is evidence that run-on to adjacent side slopes has lead to accelerated erosion. Management on most trails in Hawai'i, including the one studied, is limited, but from our data it is apparent that on-trail sites directly influenced by an overhanging canopy of rapidly growing (aggressive) exotics were least impacted due to increased organic contributions to the surface and root network development. These data will allow land managers to more effectively address the potential geomorphic and hydrologic impacts of recreational land use. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.