workshops & TRAINING
From the Rockies to Vancouver Island since 2011.
We continue to deliver workshops & training for Land Managers, Park Planners, Rec Officers, Park Rangers, Parks & Rec teams, seasonal work crews, First Nations and an ever growing list of trail associations throughout BC including professional and volunteer builders.
courses
Scroll down for COURSE SUMMARY or email us at info@trailholistics.com to receive a course syllabus & costs.
Level I The Foundation - Provides a holistic approach to sustainable trail care and construction. You’ll learn best practices, applicable guidelines & standards, problem identification and potential solutions. This course is 1.5 days with the first half day in the classroom with the afternoon assessing trails. Day 2 culminates in a half day trail project. See below for more detail or request the course syllabus including costs and FAQ.
We offer a number of different L1 curriculums tailored to your group including:
1) MTB 2) Hiking 3) OHV 4) Multi Use 5) Occupational (Parks Staff)
Level II Advanced Design & Construction - We build upon skills learned in Level I to delve deeper into effective risk management, trail & trail network design principles, land surveyance & GIS, geotechnical analysis and advanced structure construction using post & beam methodologies. We’ll introduce you to a number of free online resources. Course includes a 20 page booklet covering course content, and a series of wood structure schematics.
Strategic Planning for Trail Associations uses a globally proven process customized to the non profit society to build capacity and improve effectiveness. Over the course of two days, we’ll work through a number of exercises to find the heartbeat of your organization to create a road map for the future.
Risk Management for Recreational Trails & Parks provides an in-depth understanding of risk assessment and liability exposure including legal precedence, regulatory requirements, the Occupiers Liability Act and Duty of Care. We’ll look at case law as related to your obligation in providing a ‘reasonably’ safe experience for public accessed trails and parks.
Workshop Instructor - click here for more information on our workshop instructor Mark Wood.
“Practical, relevant, and engaging. Thanks to your course I now look at trails with a different set of eyes and bring a new toolbox of skills and understanding when I hit the trails with my shovel in hand. Awesome training!”
- Level 1 participant, Campbell River
course SUMMARY
Click on below links for more information on courses.
LEVEL I - THE FOUNDATION: This 1.5 day course provides the foundation to build, assess and improve sustainable trails, forming a long term approach to trail care. A half day of theory and two half days in the field teach the holistic approach to build trails that are creative, progressive and FUN!
We cover best practices, guidelines and standards, introducing participants to key concepts in risk management. Critical thinking is encouraged during our field session to identify issues and explore potential solutions while prioritizing work using the Trail Triage system. The course culminates in a half day build project to put theory into action. Participants receive a summary document of current standards and guidelines in BC.
LEVEL II - ADVANCED TRAIL DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION: 2 day course: two morning classroom sessions and two afternoon build sessions. The science of designing trails to regional factors is explored in-depth with the goal to create trails that harmonize with the terrain. We’ll look at key components to provide diverse offerings in a dynamic trail network while incorporating effective risk management strategies. Utilizing a holistic approach to design trails that are socially and environmentally sustainable, participants are introduced to the concept of Landfulness and the Limits of Acceptable Change. Participants are introduced to a wealth of resources to access online GIS catalogues, assess slope and soils, determine property boundaries, environmental layering and many other critical aspects when planning trails. Participants receive a 20 page booklet that includes quick reference charts for material covered in the course, including best practices, key concepts, provincial requirements and professional standards. The booklet also includes a series of schematics for advanced wood structures including wood joinery techniques using post & beam construction methods.
STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR TRAIL ASSOCIATIONS: 2 day workshop. In today's world, volunteer trail associations are becoming more encumbered with an ever increasing workload in complex landscape. This workshop uses a globally refined system to dive into the Visioning process to identify organizational goals & objectives, limitations and opportunities, to create a prioritized action plan that will serve as the blue print for future success. This workshop has been tailored for the very challenges your organization will face to build both financial and social capital.
RISK MANAGEMENT FOR RECREATIONAL TRAILS & PARKS: 1 day course. We delve into regulatory requirements and your legal responsibility of doing what is reasonable to manage risk on public lands. This is a must for any planner, manager, builder or advocate to ensure you are upholding the required Duty of Care. This one day course is a classroom session with an optional half day field session to assess hazards and discuss solutions. Participants receive a 20 pg course booklet that includes Canadian case law examples, legal concepts & definitions, as well as all of the key concepts covered in the course (risk identification & prevention, areas of concern, site factors, how to create a Safety Plan, design considerations, etc.) providing you with the understanding to create a sound risk management strategy for your trails.
“Mark Wood did and excellent job of presenting a massive amount of information that is critical to existing and developing bike clubs. The topics built on the Level 1 course and further developed ideas of trail design, developing, and marking for clubs to be able to meet the needs of various regulatory bodies so that we can continue to build new trails to meet the demand of the ever growing mountain bike community. Whether you are new to trail building, or have spent many hours digging, you will learn something from this course!”
- L 2, Erik Beiderwieden - Professional Builder, Victoria
Watch a time lapse above of one of our wood structure builds on a Level 2 MTB course in Nanaimo, BC with the NMBC.
field training
Field sessions provide invaluable hands-on learning opportunities for participants to become familiar with current professional building standards, management strategies and crucial safety protocols. Choose from any of the modules below or we can work with you to customize a session that includes a combination of skills.
Structure Construction
Trail Layout, Design & Construction
Trail & Structure Assessment
Trail Restoration & Repair
Hazard Identification & Risk Mitigation
Please use the form below for any workshop or training inquiries. We aim to return email inquiries within a day.