Amherst News

Here is some recent Amherst town news. If you'd like your public event to be included here, please send your news to us at Ask the Town Hall.

“Model Forest” Tour at Joe English Reservation: (2/9/08). The Forest Guild, a national organization of professional foresters, headquartered in Santa Fe, NM has designated over 1,200 acres of the Amherst, NH Conservation Commission’s forested lands as a “Model Forest”.

Amherst’s forests have joined a select group of exemplary model forests nationwide. Join the Amherst Conservation Commission and the Forest Guild for a celebration of this designation with a walk through a timber harvest area in the Joe English Reservation (dress appropriately; snowshoes may be necessary). The walk will be preceeded by a presentation of the Model Forest program and Amherst's forest at Peabody Mill Environmental Center.

When: Saturday, February 28, 2009; 10:00am – 1:00 pm

Where: Peabody Mill Environmental Center
Joe English Reservation, Brook Road
Amherst, NH

Info: 603-532-6118; 603-673-5467

Amherst in Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Quarantine Area: (6/1/08)

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Egg Sacs

In a letter from the NH division of Forest and Lands, Amherst has been notified that our town in now in the quarantine area for the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), an exotic insect that kills hemlock trees. Any hemlock trees cut in Amherst will need an inspection before the material is moved out of the quarentine area.

Any hemlock wood products including but not limited to hemlock logs or pulpwood with bark, hemlock lumber with bark, hemlock chips and uncomposted shipments of hemlock bark received fro quarantined towns in NH requires a State of New Hampshire Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Clean Certification, of either load or lot, which must be signed and dates by a certified inspector in NH. This certificate must state that said load or lot of hemlock is free of any HWA and is required for all twelve months of the year.

Examine the map of New Hampshire town subject to the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Quarantine, and more information about the quarantine.

Road Funding Analysis Committee: (5/27/08)

CHARGE from the Amherst Board of Selectmen

May 27, 2008

The Road Funding Analysis Committee (RFAC) is charged with bringing a report to the selectmen by September 8, 2008. The Committee will:

Develop a twenty year strategy for the reconstruction and maintenance of the road system in the Town of Amherst. The committee will:

Look at the lifetime cost of rebuilding, repairing and maintaining the road system
Take into consideration all aspects of cost, including impact on other projects within the town, i.e. Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
Develop a plan for road reconstruction to be performed with minimum impact on routine required road maintenance
Develop the most cost-effective strategy
Recommend a funding mechanism that will accomplish the above
Recommend potential changes in the town road specifications to the Amherst Planning Board in order to avoid future maintenance problems
Anticipate creation of a viable road infrastructure within the twenty year timeframe
Develop a strategy to inform the public of the final decision

The committee will employ the Road Surface Management Plan (RSMP), developed in March 2006 by Bruce Berry. The committee will work to support regular updates of the RSMP or its equivalent.

INITIAL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES: 5/15/08

6/12/08

7/17/08

8/21/08

Amherst Recognized for Model Forest Management: (4/9/08)
Amherst forests managed by the conservation commission have been recognized by the Forest Guild as a Model Forest. According to the Forest Guild website, "The Forest Guild Model Forest program recognizes places, people, and relationships that foster sustainable forest management and demonstrate successful silviculture." The Guild’s Model Forest program is intended to promote and demonstrate excellent forestry and to exemplify the guiding principles of the Forest Guild.

From its beginning, the commission has worked to obtain lands having important environmental values. The commission now manages or oversees 2,138 “fee owned” acres and 198 “conservation easement” acres that provide wetlands, forest protection, wildlife habitats, and opportunities for hiking, skiing, and personal enrichment.

Since 1996, the Amherst Conservation Commission has commissioned Forest Guild founding member Charles Koch to develop and implement forest management plans for 7 parcels covering over 1,200 acres. No significant recent logging had taken place on most of these parcels prior to the initiation of the planning process. Since 1996, five timber harvests have been conducted, yielding about 700,000 board feet of logs and 300 cords of firewood. Another three harvests are planned for the current cutting cycle (1996-2011).

The commission’s forest management goals place a high priority on wildlife, recreation, aesthetics, and aquifer protection and a medium to low priority on income. These objectives generally guide actions that enhance non-financial values, create emotional connections to the land, and grow large diameter trees. Revenue is seen as a minor consideration. This presents an ideal situation to showcase sustainable forestry practices: there are no pressing financial burdens and good access to a variety of wood markets exist.

Amherst Adds Online Vehicle Registration: (2/12/08)
Amherst Town Clerk, Nancy Demers, has added the ability to register vehicles online. Vehicles can still be registered in person at the town hall, or by mail, as explained in your renewal notice.. Now vehicle owners can also register their car or truck online at the Amherst town web site, by clicking on the E-REG license plates found on the website. Only a renewal of an existing registration may be done online. Registration of a new vehicle, must be done in person at the town hall. In addition, vanity plates, with owner selected plate numbers and text can be purchased at the town hall for an additional fee of $25.00. Online registrations will cost up to an additional $1.85 to cover the costs of the online registrar, and at present, online registration must be paid with an online check or bank transfer. Credit cards may be supported in the future.

PMEC receives Grant from PSNH: (5/16/07) The Peabody Mill Environmental Center has received the first installment of a $10,000 grant from Public Service of New Hampshire. The grant is to help PMEC use geothermal energy to become an energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly education center.

Amherst News

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Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Egg Sacs