Charlie Dundas Tri State Company Inc. PTBA Sustainable Trail Conference 2022 (#63)

Trail EAffect Episode 63 Charlie Dundas of Tri State Company Inc

Part 1 of the PTBA Sustainable Trails Conference 2022

Topics Covered:

• The Charlie Dundas Backstory and how he got started in Trail Building
• How a map from 1914 was pivotal
• Charlie’s first trail build, the 32-mile Kanawha Trace is 60 years old in September of 2022
• Early Tools of Trail Building for Charlie
• How Charlie got into mechanized trail building with a Gravely Tractor and rotary cultivator
• The Start of Tri State Companies for employing a trail crew as economic development
• Starting trail building for the US Forest Service
• The transition to using Mini Excavators
• Building to US Forest Service Standards
• Flying a rented Mini Ex to the build site via Helicopter
• Mini Excavators and Ring Gears that don’t wear out with CAT Mini Ex’s
• The transition to 48” wide trails
• Going into the Sutter Mini Dozer to increase daily production
• Transition from Plate Compactors to Double Drum Rollers
• Adding a mechanical mule and a chipper to the trail building train
• Building from 250’ a day to 2,000’ a day of completed trail with a staff of 2-3 people
• What Trails do for communities according to Charlie
• The various projects in urban areas and for private developers for their developments
• What Mountain Biking has done for the trail building industry
• Charlie’s NICA Trail that Tri State Companies Built
• Charlie’s view on “Shared / Multi Use Trails” and the standards that said trails need to get built to
• Charlie’s Words of Wisdom
  • Sands through the Hour Glass of Life and respecting Volunteers Time

Links:

Tri State Company Inc.: http://www.tri-statecompany.com/

Professional Trail Builders Association: https://www.trailbuilders.org/

Kanawha Trace Trail: https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7007530/kanawha-trace-50k

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services

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