A curiosity question I keep meaning to ask: In quite a few forums I read about folks spreading bark, sawdust, chips, etc. on their woods trails to fill in holes and soft spots. If you're someone who has done this long-term, what has been your experience years down the road? In the short term it seems like a good fix. But it also seems to me that using woody material for fill, at least in wet or damp places, would eventually just turn the fill into topsoil soup, being all organic matter. I'd love to hear your feedback, good or bad. Thank you!
its not a be all end all, but wood chips and bark do work good at keeping mud at bay, during breakup I regulary use bark and chips on mud when it gets thick. it only works for 1 season. if you want mud gone forever rock is the only way to go.
I've done this for many years with no problems. However, I also add a little sand on top. I do remember once having to add more sand to one spot. The one I like best is a low spot where I come down and it was good mostly from maybe mid July until freeze-up or earlier if we had a wet fall. At first I tried adding a layer of sand and adding more later. Then I added some bark but the winner was wood chips that I was blessed with. It took quite a bit because it was quite wet then. After the chips I again added sand. That spot is no longer a problem. I have several spots that can be troublesome but they are small spots so doesn't take long to fix them.
There was a member here regularly back in the day that used sawdust/rotted bark/pine needles for maintaining his trails, he was quite active here but haven't seen him for quite some time. He lived in the Adirondacks, not sure what ever happened to him. His trails always looked neat and meticulously maintained. Miss seeing his posts.
I’ve seen chip covered trails where low spots get extra muddy. I do it in my wood yard and it hasn’t rained enough to be problematic.
Never tried maintaining trails with it, but I know around the barnyard it was forever mushy in areas that seen lots of sawdust. Straw would firm things up better...but I'm sure that's temporary too.
The loggers left me a good pile of wood chips, I found it helped fill in low spots and 10 years later the only still wet spots are under ground spring and a runoff area. Where ground was level raised it few inches and now cross able On hill dig trench wrap stone in fabric gif catch basin up hill side. Water follow easiest course down hill pine needles are naturally acidic prevents lots of growth except berries which thrive on it
We have put bark and splitter trash in wash out areas on the old driveway. Works pretty good, does get a bit slick. Hickory bark lasts a long time.
