Abstract Recreational activities can negatively affect protected area landscapes and resources and soil erosion is frequently cited as the most significant long-term impact to recreational trails. This study applied extensive multiple regression modeling of trail soil loss to identify influential factors that managers can manipulate to improve the sustainability of trail design and management. Field measurements assessed soil loss as the mean vertical depth along 135 trail transects across the Appalachian Trail sampled along three 5 km trail segments in New Hampshire’s White Mountains National Forest, chosen due to its exceptionally high use and impact. GIS and LiDAR data were used to create many new variables reflecting terrain characteristics that were expected to influence trail erosion and improve predictive models of trail system soil loss. A variety of terrain and hydrology characteristics were applied to model trail soil loss at three spatial scales: transect, trail corridor, and watershed. The model for each spatial scale and a combined model are presented. The adjusted R2 explaining variation in soil loss is 0.57 using variables from all spatial scales, improving on predictive modeling from earlier studies. Environmental and trail design factors such as slope and watershed flow length were found to be significantly correlated to soil loss and have implications for improved sustainable trail design and management.

中文翻译：

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机载 LiDAR 和 GIS 在美国新罕布什尔州阿巴拉契亚小径沿线侵蚀建模中的应用

摘要 休闲活动会对保护区的景观和资源产生负面影响，土壤侵蚀经常被认为是对休闲小径最重要的长期影响。本研究应用广泛的径流土壤流失多元回归模型来确定管理人员可以操纵的影响因素，以提高径迹设计和管理的可持续性。实地测量评估了土壤流失，作为沿着阿巴拉契亚小径的 135 条小径横断面的平均垂直深度，沿新罕布什尔州怀特山国家森林的三个 5 公里小径段采样，选择是因为其使用率和影响异常高。GIS 和 LiDAR 数据用于创建许多反映地形特征的新变量，这些变量预计会影响步道侵蚀并改进步道系统土壤流失的预测模型。各种地形和水文特征被应用于模拟三个空间尺度的径流土壤流失：样带、径廊和流域。给出了每个空间尺度的模型和组合模型。使用所有空间尺度的变量，解释土壤流失变化的调整后的 R2 为 0.57，改进了早期研究的预测模型。环境和步道设计因素，如坡度和流域流长，被发现与土壤流失显着相关，并对改进可持续步道设计和管理具有影响。使用所有空间尺度的变量，解释土壤流失变化的调整后的 R2 为 0.57，改进了早期研究的预测模型。环境和步道设计因素，如坡度和流域流长，被发现与土壤流失显着相关，并对改进可持续步道设计和管理具有影响。使用所有空间尺度的变量，解释土壤流失变化的调整后的 R2 为 0.57，改进了早期研究的预测模型。环境和步道设计因素，如坡度和流域流长，被发现与土壤流失显着相关，并对改进可持续步道设计和管理具有影响。