This is the year when the beetles may be receding, but their effect in Summit County is going to be around for the rest of our lives and beyond.

I can’t help you people in the afterlife, but I can certainly tell you that this is the year that as we head out to our drying trails, we’re finding lots of downed trees impeding our famously flowy singletrack system. And if you’re like me, you can barely cut your fingernails much less carry a hacksaw on your ride.

Thankfully, there are people who do. Like SFTS Board member Mike Zobbe, for example. And Mike is going to be planning all kinds of trail work sessions this year to grab all us novices to help him and others keep the trails clear.

With the weakened roots of dead trees, wind events can topple a tree (some of us are still shuddering from the 125mph breeze that “blew” through Breckenridge this past winter). Be safe: It’s good thing to know the weather before heading out into the woods on a windy day—storm gusts could give you more than just a slight headache.

The Dillon Ranger District of the US Forest Service has been occassionally releasing advisories about tree hazards in the White River National Forest, and you can often find these just by looking at the National Weather Service alerts.

In the meantime, if you come across a tree on the trail, do what twitter follower Ed Carley did and snap a picture, telling us where it is. Town of Breck staff is very much on top of the town-system trails, as are the folks at the County. But sometimes it might take volunteer work to clear the trail in unincorporated areas or on USFS land.

Help us out: Post your fallen tree issue on Facebook, on twitter @summitfattire

And be sure to look up often this summer!