Trail Decommissioning + Restoration
Scope Tip
Closing a trail and decommissioning it are not necessarily the same scope of work. Where an existing trail is eroding or affecting drainage, decommissioning may require substantial construction and restoration work, such as recontouring, decompaction, check dams, rockwork, or other site-specific treatments. Clearly define the required finished condition and treatments.
Scope Item Definition
Decommission an existing trail, route, or trail section and restore or naturalize the former trail corridor in accordance with project requirements, permit conditions, and applicable land-manager or resource-protection requirements.
Work may include treating the existing tread and trail features, stabilizing eroding areas, restoring appropriate contours and natural drainage or hydrologic patterns, treating structures and imported materials, redistributing native site materials, and supporting natural or active revegetation where required.
When / Where It Applies
Trail decommissioning and restoration applies when an existing trail, route, or trail section is intentionally closed and the physical trail corridor requires treatment or restoration.
Decommissioning may be identified through trail assessment, system planning, maintenance planning, project design, or other management decisions. This scope item addresses the construction work required to implement that decision, rather than the assessment or planning process used to determine whether a trail should be decommissioned.
Scope Considerations
Depending on the project, the scope should consider and clearly define:
Trails, routes, or trail sections to be decommissioned, including limits of work.
Required finished condition and applicable restoration standards.
Whether and how existing tread should be decompacted, recontoured, obscured, stabilized, or otherwise treated.
Requirements for restoring natural drainage or hydrologic patterns, including treatment of areas where the existing trail concentrates or redirects water.
Required check dams, rockwork, drainage treatments, or other stabilization measures.
Treatment of existing drainage features, structures, retaining walls, culverts, surfacing, hardening, specialty features, or other trail infrastructure.
Whether existing materials should be removed, salvaged, reused, redistributed, or naturalized on site.
Whether and how native topsoil, duff, leaf litter, woody debris, rock, or other site materials should be salvaged or redistributed.
Whether natural recovery using existing soils, native seed banks, and surrounding vegetation is appropriate or active revegetation or other treatments are required.
Measures required to discourage continued use of the decommissioned route.
Access, equipment, material handling, and staging constraints.
Applicable permits, BMPs, resource-protection requirements, and seasonal restrictions.
Any required monitoring, establishment period, follow-up treatment, or documentation.
Owner-Provided Information
The owner should provide the following, if available and applicable:
Maps, GIS data, or other information identifying the trails, routes, or trail sections to be decommissioned.
Applicable planning or design documents, construction documents, restoration plans, specifications, or details.
Existing trail assessments, inventories, surveys, or other information documenting known site conditions.
Information on known structures, drainage features, surfacing, hardening, specialty features, or other existing trail infrastructure.
Applicable planning or design documents, construction documentation and specifications, restoration plans, or details
Known access, equipment, staging, and material-transport constraints.
Available photographs, mapping, or other site documentation.
Construction Specifications + Field Decision-Making
The solicitation should clearly identify required decommissioning and restoration outcomes and treatments and what may be determined or adjusted in the field based on existing conditions.
Where applicable, specifications should address treatment of existing tread, drainage, structures and other trail infrastructure; stabilization of eroding areas; restoration of contours and natural drainage or hydrologic patterns; use of salvaged or native site materials; natural recovery or active revegetation; and measures to discourage continued use.
Completed Work / Deliverables
Depending on the scope, completed work may include:
Identified trails, routes, or trail sections decommissioned to the required finished condition.
Existing tread, drainage features, structures, surfacing, hardening, or other trail infrastructure treated or removed as specified.
Required stabilization, recontouring, and drainage treatments completed.
Natural drainage or hydrologic patterns restored as required.
Salvaged or native site materials redistributed as specified.
Required naturalization or revegetation completed.
Measures to discourage continued use installed or implemented as required.
Materials designated for removal taken from the site and managed as specified.
Required decommissioning or restoration documentation completed.
Quality Assurance + Approval
The solicitation should define how completed decommissioning and restoration will be evaluated and approved, including consistency with applicable plans, specifications, permit conditions, and restoration requirements.
Approval should focus on whether the former trail corridor has been treated to the required finished condition, including treatment of existing tread and infrastructure, stability, contours, drainage, naturalization, and revegetation treatments where applicable.
Where long-term vegetation establishment, monitoring, or follow-up treatment is required, the contract should clearly distinguish those responsibilities from initial completion and approval of the work.
Pricing & Payment Considerations
Trail decommissioning and restoration may be priced by linear foot or mile, lump sum for a defined trail or project area, or another unit appropriate to the work. Structures, material removal, stabilization treatments, or other significant components may be separately quantified where useful for pricing clarity.
The solicitation should clearly identify the extent of trail to be decommissioned and what the price includes, such as tread treatment, recontouring, stabilization, drainage restoration, treatment of structures or other infrastructure, material handling, naturalization, and revegetation.
Common Scope & Contracting Issues
Not clearly identifying the trails, trail sections, or limits of work to be decommissioned.
Defining trail closure without defining the required physical treatment of the former trail corridor.
Not adequately defining treatment of existing erosion or drainage conditions.
Unclear requirements for check dams, rockwork, recontouring, or other stabilization treatments.
Unclear requirements for treatment or removal of existing structures, drainage features, surfacing, hardening, or other trail infrastructure.
Not defining how existing construction materials should be handled.
Unclear expectations for restoring contours and natural drainage or hydrologic patterns.
Unclear expectations for natural recovery versus active revegetation.
Not defining measures to discourage continued use where required.
Not carrying applicable permit, BMP, or resource-protection requirements into the construction scope.
Including vegetation establishment, monitoring, or follow-up requirements without defining the contractor’s responsibilities or duration.