Construction of a Suburban-Rural Recreational Trail Produces Developing Edge Effects
Keywords:
forest edges, forest understory, light penetration, magnitude of edge influence, side canopy, PAR, photosynthetically active radiationAbstract
The development of edge effects due to increased light penetration attendant to the construction of a bicycle–pedestrian recreational trail through a forest in southwest Indiana was studied. Though the trail roughly followed the route of an existing path through the forest, light penetration was dramatically increased by the construction of the trail and transiently increased in the forested edge within 10m of the trail. Decreased light penetration in the forested edge compared to the forest interior had also developed five years after trail construction, indicating the development of a side canopy. Over the study
period of five years post-trail construction, there was no evidence of decreasing light penetration over the trail itself. The findings will be relevant for land managers and others involved in recreational trail construction through Indiana forests.
