Hi Roger,
What fades on the USGS maps is the already faint light green shading below timber or tree line, so it is necessary to cut out and laminate sections of the map to keep the shading distinct. Perhaps they have more distinct shading in digital form. But paper will not hold an image very long on a rainy day in the Rockies.
Knowing where timber line is on the map shows where I am in areas where the trail has become ‘undefined.’ A good example is the section of Colorado’s Never Summer ‘trail’ from the col east of Seven Utes Mountain south to Silver Creek. The route crosses from State Forest to National Forest just south of the col. After that, the only guide to the route is by keeping 50 yards or so above the timber line for several miles until reaching a series of defined switchbacks that lead down to Silver Creek. There was an article on BPL a few years ago about this ‘handrail’ technique being used in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. But without the shading showing timberline on the map, it is not possible to spot in advance areas where the technique can be used.
As for “planned obsolescence,” these days not many ever keep anything long enough for it to become obsolete. The rest of us do MYOG, laminating maps etc.
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