FOREST COUNTY - Snowmobiling plays a big part in our Northwoods economy, and in the fall there is maintenance work that needs to be done.

Newswatch 12's James Fillmore went on a ride with one of the trail groomers to see just what it takes to get the trails ready for the big season.

Ernest Grorich is a retired resident of Forest County, and he is a member of the 100 Miler Snow Safari Snowmobile Club.

He hops into his groomer tractor a couple days a week in the fall to groom the center portion of the Nicolet State Trail.

Grorich says, "I was an equipment operator when I was working. I still enjoy operating machinery, and I enjoy that immensely; it gives me purpose."

Grorich is running the tractor and mower along the edges of the trail, and he expects to put in between 40 and 60 hours of work this season.

The mower can extend up to fifteen feet, and it clears debris and saplings that might otherwise fall back onto the trail once the snow comes down creating a hazard.

Grorich says, "We're looking for rough spots, especially now before freeze up; rocks that stick out, or stumps that might interfere with the grooming or snowmobiling."

It's Grorich's job to maintain 50 miles of the trail, and he says an eight hour day covers about 25 miles.

It's a job he says is very important.

He says, "Every year we've had snowmobile deaths on snowmobile trails, and our goal is to not have the deaths and the accidents, and so we try to improve our trails all the time."

One snowmobiler we spoke with says he moved to Forest County because he believes the trails are the best in Northern Wisconsin.

Larry Sommer says, "The businesses up here thrive because of snowmobiling. If we didn't have the trails that we have, and the grooming, a lot of these businesses would be hurting."

The maintenance of the snowmobile trails in Forest County is just about finished, and now all they need is a few inches of the white stuff.

Grorich is quick to point out that he is just part of a 10 person team that helps maintain the trails.

The President of the 100 Miler Snow Safari Snowmobile Club says 80 percent of their annual budget goes into grooming the trails.