Officials to increase patrols on Jiali Mountain after trail markers appear - Taipei Times

Officials have stepped up patrols of the Jiali Mountain Trail (加里山步道) after reports of trail markings being illegally spray-painted on trees and boulders.

Located in Miaoli County, Jiali Mountain is a mid-altitude mountain with two main trailheads, Luchang (鹿場) and Daping (大坪).

It is listed as one of the 100 small peaks with a first-order survey station point at an elevation of 2,220m, attracting lots of hikers.

Photo courtesy of a member of the public

However, trees and boulders along a 3km section of the Daping trail have been found to be marked with an arrow pointing to a mountain refuge.

The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Hsinchu branch said it received report of the markings from a member of the public on Saturday last week.

From the 900m point of the middle route to the Daping trailhead toward the No. 9 rescue marker, arrow marks were found spray-painted on trees and boulders along the 3km section, the branch said.

They were likely marked by regular hikers, or by hiking event organizers, based on their locations and patterns, the branch said.

On-site staff and scheduled weekend duty personnel have been dispatched to the area for patrol and inspection, it said.

The spray paint on boulders would be removed, while marks on the trees would be left to naturally come off to prevent damaging the bark and plant tissue, the branch said.

The branch said it has yet to identify the perpetrator and would fine them between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 for violating the Forestry Act (森林法).

Such behavior also contravened the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法), which stipulates polluting the ground, walls, beams or pillars, trees or other fixed structures within a designated clearance area, constituting a fine of between NT$1,200 and NT$6,000, it said.

The branch called on hikers to uphold the principle of "leave no trace" while in the mountains by refraining from polluting or damaging natural environments.

Hiking groups should use environmentally friendly, easily removable strips of cloth for route guidance, it said, adding that the cloth strips should be removed afterward.

Marking forest trees or stones with spray paint or any other permanent medium is strictly prohibited, the branch said.

The branch would enhance patrol of the trail and add notice signboards to the area to remind hikers of forest conservation, it said.