Hand-laid trails - the first step in protecting our forests

Currently, the biggest problem on Taiwan's forest trails is the overuse of man-made facilities and concrete paving. Due to the imperviousness of cement paving, trails using this material not only have the dangerous drawback of being slippery but also have an adverse impact on the environment. In order to protect mountain ecology, Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association (千里步道協會) and Taiwan Wensun Community College (台中市文山社區大學) have jointly organized “Taichung Trail Study”, a course that not only teaches the theoretical knowledge behind natural trail building, but also allows students to put the knowledge into practice through hands-on trail building. Using their newly-acquired natural building techniques and cobblestones unique to the local area of Mt. DaDu, trainees work in pairs to merge the mountain trails naturally into the local environment.

Mountain trails are a bridge that helps connect people to nature. Once people have experienced the process of laying a natural mountain trail by hand they tend to reflect on the mountain and discover it is brimming with life. It is hoped that his practice will allow the people of Taichung to experience the connection between nature and our ancestors, and tap into the beauty of Taiwan’s natural ecology and culture.

Hand-laid trails - the first step in protecting our forests 

URL：https://www.peopo.org/news/324075

(以下是中文對照)

手作步道－守護山林的第一步

照片

台灣目前山林步道最大的弊病，應屬過多的人為設施及水泥鋪面，不透水的水泥舖面反而造成溼滑，除了帶來危險，還會對環境造成影響。千里步道協會與台中市文山社區大學，為了守護山林生態，特地合辦「台中步道學」，除了在課堂講解理念外，並實際規劃實作步道課，讓學員透過自然工法，利用大肚山特有的卵石，搭配人力維修步道，讓步道融入當地環境。

步道是人們連接自然的橋樑，當人們經由手作步道的施作，將重新檢視這片山林，會發現處處充滿生機，這種作法希望能讓台中市民體驗，與自然與古人的對話，進而發掘台灣自然生態與人文之美。