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Conservation Commission

Conservation and More

              by Bruce B. Beckley

Issue #65, May 25, 1999
Menu For Management

Burn, clear cut, selective harvest, cut and run – these make up the menu of forest management practices being used around this area. Some of these methods carry heavy baggage as a result of abusive forest operations, particularly in the West. Visitors to Joe English Reservation in the last two weeks have questioned what the ACC is up to as they see cutting beginning along the Hammond Brook Trail.

With the help of Mike Riccitelli, 750 feet of a former logging road, last used 40 years ago, have been reopened. Culverts were installed and the surface leveled with road sweepings recycled from last winter’s sanding. A log landing, cleared at the end of the improved haul road, provides space to sort and yard logs which will be skidded to it from the ACC Arnold Lot to the south.

Let’s back up. Two years ago the ACC retained licensed forester Charles Koch to prepare a management plan for our properties. The plan recommends a series of management steps which, over the next 50 to 100 years, will provide a productive mixed growth forest supporting diverse wildlife communities. So far, Charlie’s recommendations for a selective harvest have been implemented at the Caesar’s Brook and Haseltine properties. A visit to the Haseltine Lot on Austin Road shows the direction we are going by using good forestry techniques, carefully applied.

Trees to be cut were marked by Charlie with a view to long-term benefits and enjoyment. Many of the larger trees are selectively left to grow larger. And many smaller trees, especially hardwoods, are marked for removal to let light down to the understory and give the better trees head room to grow. Ray Palmer, the cutter and himself a graduate forester, then follows the skidder routes laid out by Charlie to bring the harvested trees to the log yard. Revenue from the cutting is not great at this point in the cycle. What income is realized goes towards land protection.

We read about things happening in the forest industry. They seem remote and not a factor here in the Southern Tier. But during the Haseltine cut, it was announced that the S.D. Warren pulp mill in Westbrook, Maine was being shut down by its new owners. 315 jobs will be lost in Maine. The effect doesn’t stop there. A satellite chipping operation in Hopkinton also closed, instantly ending a use for low-grade hardwood. That, coupled with a glut of firewood stemming from the last ice storm, killed the market for the trees which were marked to be weeded out in the Haseltine forest development. So, the weeding will wait for the next cycle.

As the Haseltine cut concluded, the ACC voted to continue with the forest management plan by doing a selective harvest on the Arnold Lot in Joe English West. Hence the need to improve the haul road. During the cutting, users of the Bicentennial and Hammond Brook trails unfortunately may be inconvenienced. We beg your understanding and caution.

Two other management practices are being employed on the four square mile New Boston Air Station which abuts Joe English Reservation. There, the base environmental scientist is employing clear cutting, burning and selective harvesting to achieve a set of specific goals.

Three-acre clear cuts are being opened to introduce habitats for birds, deer, moose and bear. In these clearings plant species favored by the larger mammals will be encouraged. A controlled burn was planned to enlarge the habitat favored by a rare wildflower species discovered during a survey by Argonne National Laboratory. Crews from the White and Green Mountain Forests were to assist in the burn which was canceled at the last minute for national security reasons.

"Cut and run" to me is not a management practice. This process involves cutting any trees that can be sold for logs, firewood or chips to obtain a quick return for the owner. Often whole-tree chipping is used. In these days of frequent ownership changes versus many generations of family farm ownership, cutting for a quick return is becoming more and more prevalent. First the cutting, then the land sale to a developer and then houses.

Your ACC, like the old-time farmer, is in this for the long run. We appreciate your partnership in our efforts and welcome your questions and reactions. For an example of good forest stewardship, visit the Hollis Town Forest off Farley Road. It’s a pleasant place to walk and watch the wildlife around the ponds.

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