Typically, policies governing a unit of public land are developed by the government agency charged with its management. For the Appalachian Trail, broad management direction and philosophy are set out in the A.T. Comprehensive Plan (PDF), which envisioned that much of the detailed policy direction would be developed by Trail clubs and their agency partners at the local level.

Local Management Planning Guide

Since the mid-1970s, ATC has developed policies for the Trail consistent with federal and state laws and regulations so that it continues to be managed as a single, continuous footpath. Those policies are contained in ATC's Local Management Planning Guide (LMPG). The Trail-maintaining clubs, working with their agency partners, then develop specific policy direction for their sections of Trail, which are compiled into each club's local management plan.

This third edition of the LMPG replaces the second edition (1997) and includes all ATC Trail-management policies and guidelines adopted from late 1997 through 2008. It also includes National Park Service policy guidance. The body of the LMPG is posted here in Word to facilitate the A.T. maintaining clubs in revising their local management plans. It also is posted as a single PDF document and as separate PDF files for each section to enable quicker downloads. Links in the text go directly to the appendices, which are posted below, as well as to other documents and Web sites. 

The LMPG will be updated periodically to include new policies recommended by the ATC Stewardship Council, reviewed by the four Regional Partnership Committees and adopted by ATC's Board of Directors. Trail-management policies and guidelines adopted since 2008 are posted below.

2009 ATC Local Management Planning Guide (Word)
2009 Local Management Planning Guide (PDF)

By section (PDF documents):
Part 1 - A.T. Planning and the Cooperative Management System (includes Table of Contents and Introduction)
Part 2 - The Physical Trail
Part 3 - Public Use, Public Information, and Emergency Response
Part 4 - Conflicting Uses, Competing Uses, and Corridor Monitoring
Part 5 - Natural, Cultural, and Scenic Resources

 Appendices
Appendix A - Management Approval Form
Appendix B - Overnight Facilities Checklist and Approval Form
Appendix C - NPS-ATPO Compendium of Orders
Appendix D - ATC Trail Management Policies
Appendix E - Cooperative Agreement between NPS and ATC
Appendix F - Trail Club-ATC MOUs:  
    New England Region Club-ATC MOUs  
    Mid-Atlantic Region Club-ATC MOUs
    Virginia Region Club-ATC MOUs
    Deep South Region Club-ATC MOUs 
Appendix G - Statewide MOUs
Appendix H - Trail Assessment and Planning Documents
Appendix I - Accessible Facilities Guidelines and Drawings
Appendix J - Locating and Designing Overnight Sites
Appendix K - Volunteer Protection
Appendix L - Project Logistics Form
Appendix M - Incident Reporting Guidelines
Appendix N - ATC Trail Management Sign Catalogue
Appendix O - Designated Wilderness Areas
Appendix P - Links in LMPG Text

Additional references not included in appendices:
Optimal Location Review Process [referenced in Parts 2 (C) and 5 (D)]
OLR Documentation Form [referenced in Parts 2 (C) and 5 (D)]

Trail Management Policies

Trail Management Policies adopted by the ATC Board of Managers since November 2009 are posted here and will be incorporated into the Local Management Planning Guide at a later date.

ATC Land Protection Policy, adopted 2009
 

Trail-management policies adopted by ATC between February 1997 and November 2008 are posted here for reference purposes. They are included in the 2009 edition of the Local Management Planning Guide.

• ATC Policy on Bridges and Stream Crossings, amended in 2008
• ATC Policy on Reassignment of A.T. Club Maintenance Responsibility, amended in 2008
• ATC Policy on Side and Connecting Trails, amended in 2008
• ATC Policy on Timber Management, amended in 2008
• ATC Resolution Regarding Climate Change (PDF), November 2008
• ATC Policy for Review and Approval of Management Plans and Project Proposals (PDF), November 2008
• ATC Policy on Geocaching (PDF), November 2008. Related to this policy, ATC has published guidance for clubs on geocaching.
• Locating and Designing A.T. Shelters and Formal Campsites (PDF), November 2007
• Policy on Wind Energy Facilities (PDF), November 2007
• Chain-saw and Crosscut Saw Training and Certification (PDF), November 2003
• Exotic Species (PDF), May 2002
• Advertising in the A.T. Corridor (PDF), November 2001
• Impacts of Development in the Vicinity of the A.T. (PDF), November 2001
• Reassignment of Club Maintenance Responsibilities (PDF), April 2001
• Roads and Utility Developments (PDF), April 2000
• Minimum Impact Backcountry Use (PDF), November 1998
• The A.T. Experience and Non-Hiking Recreational Uses of Trail Lands (PDF), April 1997

Information for Wireless Companies. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy works closely with wireless companies and others to ensure that wireless facilities are located and designed in a way that minimizes impacts to the National Scenic Trails. For information about the agreement between the wireless industry and trail-maintaining organizations, please see the resolution agreement (PDF), which also contains guidelines for voluntary early notification.