If we continue the previous evolution of thought regarding the effects of going ‘off-trail’, we come to several other notable impacts.  Once the non-native plant is established due to soil compaction, it propagates seeds in order to spread its genome.  Seeds are dispersed by several ingeniously evolved methods:  grasses are dispersed by wind; scotch broom seed disperses via a spring loaded spiral seed-coat that literally cracks and explodes in the late summer heat and catapults the seeds 10-15 feet, other seeds pass through the digestive tracts of birds which are then deposited far from the mother plant.  

Once the seeds are dispersed they await the right environmental conditions to germinate and grow.  Seeds can lie in wait for decades and even thousands of years, for the right environmental cues. See:  http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/12/international/middleeast/12palm.html. One of those environmental cues is unfiltered sunlight, a result of trampled plants and soil compaction, referred to as a ‘disturbed’ habitat.  A typical disturbed habitat is the edges of roads, lots of ‘weedy’ species grow there.
Going off-trail creates a disturbed habitat ready for weedy species.  

If we all play are parts to preserve areas from disturbance we will serve many generations to come, so continue to enjoy the gifts of Mother Nature by respectfully understanding the consequences of our collective behavior.

This is post is courtesy of an EverGreen Escape Artist -
Gretchen Graber - her bio can be found on our website:
http://evergreenescapes.com/our_knwledgeable_guides.asp More...