Remove or Decommission Vulnerable Infrastructure

In some cases, it may no longer be worth the cost to retain certain recreational infrastructure under changing conditions. This can happen when the infrastructure has become unsustainable in terms of the consistent damage, it sustains during uncharacteristic climatic events, the damage it consistently causes to adjacent natural resources, or the budget necessary for its continued maintenance. In many instances, the decision to decommission or allow for loss comes with it a responsibility to ensure that the infrastructure does not continue to cause environmental damage after being decommissioned, especially considering the compounding effects of climate change. Decommissioned roads and trails still have the potential to hold or channel water, deliver sediment to streams, and alter natural water pathways on the landscape. It is thus important to ensure that they are removed in a way that makes them hydrologically inert and disconnected from nearby stream systems. If intentionally allowed to decay, historic sites must also be fully documented in accordance with cultural resource laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act. It is also important to continue to sustain people’s connections and access to public lands. When one recreational opportunity is removed, others may become more available in the same geographic location. Examples under this approach can include decommissioning duplicative facilities, decommissioning roads and removing culverts from areas prone to flooding, and intentionally allowing sites to deteriorate without human intervention.

Changes in climate may prompt recreation professionals to revisit what are considered best management practices for the industry. Seasonality will change across diverse geographic locations. Winter recreation will be affected by shorter winters with less snow in northern areas. With this will come both risks to the industry and occasions to transition to new opportunities. This strategy includes both conventional and non-conventional actions to transition recreational infrastructure and opportunities into forms that would not be likely to suffer total loss over their lifespans, even given the uncertainties inherent in a changing climate.