After months of community meetings and discussions with King County and the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, construction work on mountain bike trails through Dockton Forest has begun.

The project, spearheaded by the Vashon Mountain Bike Association (VMBA), an island nonprofit, is relying on volunteer work. Islander and VMBA member David Warren said that 15 volunteers were taught the basics of trail building during the weekend of May 14 to 15.

“After a few hours of class time, we started in on the hand-built downhill trail. We moved quickly, roughing in the trail for several hundred feet — not done, but well started,” he said in an email last week.

Work on the trails continued last weekend and will continue until the first phase of trails is done. Trails will be built in three phases: 1A, 1B and 2. The trails are being built in a currently trail-less 40 acres of the 700-acre forest.

“We are constructing three trails in Phase 1A — all east of the … main trail that served as the landing and haul road respectively during the recent forestry operation,” Warren said. “The furthest west trail (closest to the landing and main trail) is the uphill course, with the far east trail being a mostly hand-built trail that will incorporate natural obstacles in the landscape — rocks and tree roots for example. The middle trail is the more modified — smoother, faster downhill course.”

Warren said Phase 1A trails should be completed by this summer.

The recent construction comes after multiple public meetings held in the fall and winter months to gather feedback from islanders about the project. Dozens of islanders attended the meetings and voiced support, while some raised concerns about what the trails would mean for equestrians, hikers and runners.

King County Parks Department’s David Kimmett assured concerned parties that the new trails would not interrupt any other forest recreation, as the trails are being built in two loops, separate from the existing multi-use trails with a 50 to 100-foot wide buffer zone.

Islanders also stressed the importance of clear signage indicating right-of-way courtesy to equestrians and distinction between regular trails and the new bike trails. Signage was displayed at the final community meeting in February.

The public was invited to walk the flagged trails in late March.

The project is being funded by the county’s Community Partnerships and Grants program.