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TRAFx counting systems are used for
recreation, land use and visitor studies. Their applications are as
diverse as the environments and locations they are deployed in. Following
are some brief case studies.

Pink Ledges Trail, Red Canyon,
Dixie NF, UT, USA
Photo credit: Dixie NF |

ATV rider on Markagunt ATV system
Photo credit: Dixie NF |
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Location: Utah, USA
Organization: US Forest Service, Dixie National Forest
Setting: Forest to desert; trails and roads
TRAFx counters used: Vehicle Counter, OHV Counter,
Infrared Trail Counter
The US Forest Service manages
its system of National Forests for various public “benefits”,
including certain recreational uses (e.g., hiking and hunting)
and industrial uses (e.g., logging). The two million acre Dixie
National Forest is located in southern Utah. It is the largest
National Forest in Utah. The Forest is divided into four
geographic areas, and includes desert-like landscape at 854 metres (2,800 ft.) and snow-capped peaks at 3452 metres (11,323
ft). Dixie National Forest’s diverse geography hosts a wide
range of recreational activities including camping, hunting,
snowmobiling, hiking, canoeing, water skiing, etc.
Dixie National Forest began using TRAFx Counters in the summer
of 2004 to gather quantitative data regarding visitor use levels
in specific areas of interest.
"We use our TRAFx
Counters in both summer and winter. They have performed well all
year round, and have allowed us to gather important dispersed
recreation data for our National Forest."
Nicholas G., Recreation Specialist, Dixie
National Forest |
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Healy Meadows and Monarch, Banff
NP, AB, Canada |

Hikers on Bow Lake trail, Banff
NP |
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Location: Banff National Park,
Alberta, Canada
Organization: Parks Canada
Setting: Mountainous landscape; extensive system of
winter and summer trails; roads
TRAFx counters used: Infrared Trail Counter, Vehicle
Counter, Pressure Pad Trail Counter, Mountain Bike Counter
Banff National Park, Canada’s first national park (founded in
1885), encompasses 6,641 square km (2,564 square miles) of
valleys, mountains, forests, glaciers, meadows and rivers. With
easy motor access, Banff NP is one of the most visited in the
world: approx. 8 million vehicles enter the park annually.
Applications for the TRAFx counting system in Banff NP include:
the quantification of visitor numbers on roads and trails
(hiking, biking and ski trails), the monitoring of trails in
wildlife-sensitive areas, and the monitoring of people and
wildlife in wildlife underpasses.
“TRAFx
equipment has helped us tremendously to get a better handle on
visitation patterns in our park. It has become a valuable tool
for monitoring and managing many areas within the national
park.”
Michael d.O., Social Scientist, Parks Canada |
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Queensland coast, Australia
Photo credit: QPWS |
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Infrared trail counter
deployment
Photo credit: QPWS |

Forest track, Queensland
Photo credit: QPWS |
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Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Organization: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Setting: Inland and coastal parks and protected areas
TRAFx counters used: Infrared Trail Counter, Vehicle
Counter
The Queensland Parks and
Wildlife Service (QPWS) administers national parks, conservation
parks and Forest reserves in the state of Queensland, Australia.
These parks protect diverse environments such as sub tropical
rainforest, open woodland, swamp, heath, mountainous terrain,
beaches, and rivers. QPWS has used TRAFx Infrared Trail Counters
to quantify visitation on walking trails in the high usage
National Parks. QPWS is currently expanding their programme.
TRAFx Vehicle Counters will be also used to gather road data,
and when not being used on roads, the TRAFx Vehicle Counters
will be converted to the TRAFx Infrared Trail Counter with the
TRAFx Infrared Conversion Kit, and used on walking tracks, horse
trails and mountain bike tracks. The ability to switch between
counter types is cost effective and versatile. It also gives
QPWS scope to collect usage data on a variety of diverse user
groups. This data will be used to aid in management decisions
and also to project future useage of areas.
"Our TRAFx counters have been very useful in determining user
numbers on trails so that we can make informed management
decisions. Our experience with TRAFx equipment has been very
positive - in fact, we just ordered some more so that we can
expand our programme to include other user groups and more sites
in our National Parks. The software associated with the counters
is easy to use and virtually ranger proof once set up, and the
after sales service is outstanding and only an email away."
Jamie S., Senior
Ranger, QPWS |
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Pacific Spirit Regional Park
area, Vancouver, BC, Canada |

Installing a TRAFx Pressure Pad
Trail Counter.
Photo credit: GVRD |
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Location: Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada
Organization: Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD)
Setting: Multi-use urban and regional parks, campgrounds,
beaches, trails, and bicycle paths
TRAFx counters used: Vehicle Counter, Infrared Trail
Counter, Pressure Pad Trail Counter, Mountain Bike Counter
GVRD is a partnership of 21
municipalities and one electoral area that make up the
metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver. Its purpose is to
protect and enhance the quality of life in the region through
the delivery of region-wide essential services. One of these
services is the management of 26 regional parks and of about 300
km of trails, as well as riverfronts and beaches throughout the
region. The counting devices provided by TRAFx helps GVRD Parks
better understand visitor use patterns and use this information
to improve the management of their park lands. TRAFx Vehicle
Counters have been installed at most park entrances. TRAFx
Infrared Trail Counters and Pressure Pad Trail Counters have also been
utilized to gather trail use data.
"We have
been using TRAFx counters for three years now. We are pleased
with their performance and the high-level of service TRAFx has
provided. Our TRAFx equipment has become an invaluable tool for
Regional Parks in the Greater Vancouver Regional District."
David A., Research Officer, GVRD
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TRAFx counter camouflaged to
blend in with local environment.
Photo credit: Centre Hills Project |

Downloading data in the field.
Photo credit:
Centre Hills Project |

Hikers on the Oriole Walkway.
Photo credit: Centre Hills Project |
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Location: Centre Hills,
Montserrat, West Indies
Organization: Centre Hills Project; Ministry of
Agriculture, Lands, Housing, and Environment; Montserrat
National Trust; Montserrat Tourist Board
Setting: Walking trails in ecologically sensitive
tropical forest
TRAFx counters used: Infrared Trail Counter
Montserrat
is a small volcanic island in the Eastern Caribbean.
Montserrat’s capital city of Plymouth was destroyed during
volcanic eruptions that
began in 1995 and more than half of the island was evacuated.
The population, now less than half of its former size, has
relocated to the northern part of the island.
The Centre Hills Project aims to increase capacity for
biodiversity and protected area management in Montserrat,
particularly in the Centre Hills, a tropical forested area that
escaped volcanic devastation, and is now one of the last
remaining habitats for numerous threatened species, including
rare tropical plants and animals.
TRAFx Infrared Trail Counters are being used on walking trails
in the Centre Hills area to help determine trail use patterns,
including some extrapolation of the type of trail users (e.g.,
hikers, farmers, etc.) based on basic tallies and analysis of
timestamps using TRAFx Reporter software. The data collected by
this type of people counter will help to inform the management
of the area.
“The data collected by the TRAFx Infrared Trail Counters will
help us to make management decisions regarding the Centre Hills
area. We were able to well adapt the counters to the challenges
posed by frequent volcanic activity and a hungry rat population
on the island. For the first time, we now have a precise
measurement of trail use, which I think will surprise people who
didn’t believe that certain trails were getting so much use.
These small counters are easy to install and to hide. We also
like their long battery life.”
Carole M., Project Manager, Centre Hills Project (www.malhe.gov.ms/centrehills) |
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Photo credit: OMNR |
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Location: Ontario,
Canada
Organization: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Setting: Forested areas; public lands; roads and trails
TRAFx counters used: Vehicle/OHV counter
Ontario is Canada’s second largest province after Quebec. Ninety
percent of the 70 million hectares of forested land in Ontario
is publicly owned and it is managed by the Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources
(OMNR). The area managed by OMNR is approximately twice the size
of Poland. OMNR are using the TRAFx Vehicle/OHV counters to
study patterns of motorized recreational use and to assess the
effectiveness of controls such as signs at limiting motorized
vehicle use on logging roads and trails in northern Ontario.
Approximately 30 TRAFx counters were deployed at various sites
in the study area in 2006. This number was expanded to nearly 50
units in 2007 through partnerships with Lakehead
University and Parks Canada. In 2008 the program will be further
expanded.
"We are very pleased with our TRAFx
counters and the service provided by the people at TRAFx. The
devices have provided reliable information for automobiles and
off highway vehicles. The counters are an important part of our
ongoing study in northern Ontario."
Len H., Ph.D., Research Scientist, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources |
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Tillamook State Forest, OR, USA
Photo credit:
ODF |

Clatsop State Forest, OR, USA
Photo credit:
ODF |
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Location: Oregon, USA
Organization: Oregon Department of Forestry
Setting: Forested areas; roads and trails
TRAFx counters used: Vehicle Counter, Infrared Trail
Counter
The Oregon Department of
Forestry (ODF) manages 780,000 acres of state-owned forest lands
and provides forestry assistance to Oregon's 166,000
non-industrial private woodland owners. Some other activities
include forest resource planning, fire protection, community and
urban forestry assistance, regulation of forestry practices and
promotion of forest stewardship. ODF also provides a variety of
motorized (e.g., ATVs) and non-motorized (e.g., hiking)
recreational opportunities. TRAFx equipment is being used to
monitor recreation use patterns in a forest setting at a variety
of different locations in Northwest Oregon.
“The TRAFx
counting system is working well for our agency. The reliability
and data collection is much easier than the tube style counters
used in the past."
Bryan N., Recreation
Unit Forester |
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Landscape in the Pindos
mountain range, Greece. Photo credit: Alexios G. |

Tranquilized brown bear, Pindos
mountain range.
Photo credit: Alexios
G. |

Construction of the Egnatia
highway, Greece.
Photo credit: Alexios G. |
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Location: Egnatia
Highway and E65 highway construction area,
Pindos Mountain
Range, north-central Greece
Organization: University of Aegean, Dept. of Environment
Setting: Highway project in ecologically important
wildlife habitat
TRAFx counters used: Vehicle Counter
The
Pindos mountain range in north-central Greece is the brown
bear's (i.e., grizzly bear) southern most range in Europe. Here,
a small population of bears (estimated at 115-145 individuals)
exists in an environment characterized by mixed oak, black pine
and beech forest, interspersed with small-scale agriculture.
The brown bear is a protected species in Europe.
However, two
major highways, currently
under construction, will cut through
this ecologically important area.
The research project's main objectives are to monitor how bears
use the landscape, how highway construction activities
(especially noise and traffic
volume) affect their movements, and whether existing mitigation
measures (such as tunnels) are effective or need to be changed.
"I
first learned about the TRAFx Vehicle Counter through my field
activities associated with the Copeland Highway Wildlife
Monitoring Project in Idaho. I thought the vehicle counter would
be an excellent tool for my PhD research project in Greece. The
vehicle counter will provide important data to help us determine
disturbance levels in the study area."
Alexios G., PhD. student, University of
Aegean, Dept. of Environment |
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Great Slave Lake and NWT region,
Canada |

Winter road in the NWT.
Photo credit: Dept. of
Transportation, NWT |
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Location: Northwest
Territories (Canadian Arctic)
Organization: Govt. of the Northwest Territories, Dept.
of Transportation, Planning and Policy Division
Setting: Winter roads in Canada’s Arctic
TRAFx counters used: Vehicle Counter
In the Northwest Territories of Canada,
seasonal winter roads, built over frozen lakes, rivers and
tundra, offer an economical alternative to air supply for areas
not on the regular road system. Maintenance of winter roads
requires constant adaptation to unpredictable arctic conditions
such as extreme cold, winter storms, visibility white-outs,
overflow, wash-outs, pressure ridges, worn portages etc.
The Northwest Territories Department of Transportation uses
TRAFx counters to count vehicles on their winter roads. The
counters are embedded into the road, and left unattended over
the winter months. Data is downloaded in the spring.
"We ordered our TRAFx
system in 2004. The TRAFx Vehicle Counter has proven to be very
reliable in our extreme winter conditions. For a short traffic
count project like a winter road or ice crossing, TRAFx is
perfect. Loop installs would take up to 1/2 a day with a 4
person crew per site every single winter for 2 months of data.
TRAFx installs take one hour per site and just myself to
install. Best data we've had in years.”
Shane L., Transportation
Planner, Dept. of Transportation, NWT
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