Crossing Snowmobile Trails

[Hop Kiln Road]

Any comments on safe heights for laterals crossing snowmobile trails?

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

Any comments on safe heights for laterals crossing snowmobile trails?

Bruce,

Good question. I have wondered this too since I want to expand into an area that is currently used as a VAST trail. What I have concluded is that there is NO safe height to run a line across an active snowmobile trail. Not if you want peace of mind. At anytime day or night, a branch could fall on the line you set at 8', 10', 12', the height you set it at doesn't matter, What matters is the height it ends up at after a branch falls on it. You are talking laterals, which I know isn't the same as mainline and wire, but still would put a hurting on an unsuspecting rider at 30 mph.

My suggestion, and what I plan to do when I expand around the VAST trail is to have a mainline on both sides of the trail, and then to have one main cross the trail through a culvert. this way I will have no mains, or laterals that will be crossing the trail in the air. Hope this helps.

Ben

[Mark-NH]

I have dealt with the same situation in my orchards. What I have discovered, at least where I'm at, is that snowmobile season and sap running season do not much overlap. Running thru a culvert is a great solution for the snowmobiles but terrible for sap. Imagine how long it takes to thaw a line running thru a cold, dark, low to the ground culvert.

What I have evolved to is cam locks on main lines that run across the trail. Lines do not cross the trail for all but the 4-6 weeks the sap is running. There is maybe one week when both interests intersect. For this week I make sure lines are high and well marked. You could even hang or remove lines daily depending upon conditions.

This solution offers the least amount of conflict and least amount of downside for both activities during their respective "go times".

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Sap always has the right of way IMO!

[Maplewalnut]

Keep in mind it's not the snowmobile height you have to worry about but the groomer height. See what model you local club has and go from there

[madmapler]

At anytime day or night, a branch could fall on the line you set at 8', 10', 12', the height you set it at doesn't matter, What matters is the height it ends up at after a branch falls on it.

I'll have to deal with this in a year or so as well. One thought I had was, if you had some height to run a 2x8 or whatever suits your situation across the trail from tree to tree or post to post. Its plenty visible. If you attach your line to it securely(even with u-bolts) its not likely that the line itself will ever entangle a rider.Some trails even have signs across the trail similar to that. The other thing is if a branch should break something like that then the branch itself is likely to be the bigger issue. The law states that a landowner is in no way liable for injuries that occur on their property in situations such as this. I think you'll find that on the VAST website. Another thought is to get ahold of the local club. My experience is they'll appreciate your effort and maybe offer some assistance.

[Hop Kiln Road]

Thanks for the interesting points, Gentlemen. I have five 100 tap sugar bushes that I am developing into orchards. I own one and sharecrop the others. The four off premise sites have snowmobile traffic, two have conservation easements and mine has a 1961 power line easement subject to crop damage, interestingly. My first conclusion from the ten years of work on this project is the vast majority of our fellow citizens have no grasp - let alone appreciation - of the intensity and sophistication necessary for successful agriculture.

Like many of you, I too have removed lines deemed unsightly, put sap lines under snowmobile bridges and loss production, moved collection tanks to less desirable locations, received a lot of criticism - surprisingly some from big customers - over legitimate thinning of the bushes. In NH, the Department of Economic Resources (DRED - an ironic acronym) will tell us that the economic benefit of the snowmobiling industry, or the timber industry, easily outweighs that of the maple industry.

To the issue at hand, I believe I should be held to a standard of less than the height of a utility line crossing a public road, however, I suspect the discussions will conclude with an impractical burial option or an outright ban. The snowmobilers are sensitive to conservation easement holders. Many of the easement holders, landowners and DRED, prefer the cashflow from tree harvests than the development of orchards. Scissors. Paper. Stone. We'll see.

[madmapler]

An easement is a different situation than what mine is. I was referring to my own property without easements. I could just put an end to the trail if I decided to. I sympathize with you're problem. When the powers that be are involved, common sense is often omitted from the equation.

[Hop Kiln Road]

The line is 11.5' above the trail and the 20,000 tap Tucker SnoCat slips right under it.

[western mainer]

I had to have mine up 12' in the air.
Brian

[Bentley Wood Maple]

Just remember it is your land they are crossing that you have granted them permission to use.

[BreezyHill]

As a groomer operator,I would suggest contacting the club and let them know the situation. There are ways to sign this. The use of object markers, double sided on stakes at the spot the line crosses the trail and I would take some reflective tape and attach to the line in a few spots to make it visible. Above the Object marker the use of the 4"x4" arrows pointing up, will remind the operator of a potentially low overhead. The height is totally dependent on how much snow you get. Three years back I was cutting branches to get the machine thru that were going to hit my wind shield and were about 12' off the ground normally. Two big storms back to back built up the trail. Most GOs are great guys and will let you know if they are getting close if you ask them too. in our woods I leave a pole with a Y crotch on top so the boys can lift the mains over the trails to get thru with sleds, wheelers, or the tractor today hauling logs for the furnace and sugar house.

Ben