McLeod River Silviculture Interpretive Trail

Information

The McLeod Silviculture Interpretive Trail was built by West Fraser in 2003. The idea came about in the late 1990s, when senior woodlands employees for the Company identified a need to create an interpretive site where people such as customers, employees, summer students, and the public could be taken to be shown the different types of harvesting and silvicultural systems that are used (or could be used) on the Hinton FMA area.

A decision was made in 2000 to create the interpretive trail directly across from the McLeod River (North) Campground, so it could also be used as a recreational and educational opportunity to those people using the campground. This new educational interpretive trail was constructed in 2003 and provides a recreational and educational opportunity to those people using the McLeod River campground (which West Fraser operates).

The trailhead kiosk is across from the entrance into the McLeod River Campground – the trailhead kiosk accesses a small predominantly spruce stand on the south side of the road. Here the trail winds through a number of different demonstrations of silvicultural/harvesting strategies, such as riparian management silvicultural systems, seed tree systems, mid-rotation thinning, shelterwood systems, patch-cut systems, group selection systems and strip cutting systems. Interpretive signs found along the trail explain the various stops to the visitor.

Trail Maps
There is no trail map for this trail. It is a loop trail that should be hiked in a counterclockwise direction. There are 11 interpretive stops.

Safety

This is a short trail. Please be prepared and use the trail at your own risk. Remember- YOU are responsible for your own safety. As in all wilderness settings, bears and cougars may be encountered at any time. To reduce the chance of an animal encounter, make plenty of noise to alert animals to your presence and carry bear spray. NEVER feed or approach a bear.