Recreational trampling experiments: Effects of trampler weight and shoe type

A standard protocol for conducting experimental trampling studies was developed by Cole and Bayfield (1993). Two variables that were not standardized in that protocol are the type of shoe worn by tramplers and the weight of tramplers. In a study conducted in four different vegetation types, tramplers wearing lug-soled boots caused significantly more immediate vegetation cover loss than tramplers wearing running shoes. Shoe type had no significant effect on cover loss 1 year after trampling or on vegetation height. Heavier tramplers caused a significantly greater reduction in vegetation height than lighter tramplers, both immediately after trampling and 1 year later. Trampler weight had no significant effect on vegetation cover loss. This suggests that it is important to standardize shoe type and trampler weight in trampling experiments.