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Foresters' Corner
November 2010 As promised, we will continue to share information that we find interesting with our customers, suppliers, and friends.
While we live in a state that is over 80% forest there still needs to be education on what a managed timber harvest with a forest management plan is and what it will do for the long term health and welfare of our forests. In the past few months two articles were printed in area newspapers that help explain good forest management here in New Hampshire. On September 28, the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript printed an article on the Mill Brook Dam project, which is reprinted below. The Hippo Press featured an article "Save the Forests; Cut the Trees" in their July 8 edition. We feel that the quality of these articles helps to promote good responsible forestry in the Granite State. Also, we want to encourage you to read these articles and share them with your friends and neighbors who need to be educated on good forest management practices. "Tree harvest expected to help fund Mill Brook Dam project." BY NICK MARTIN Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, September 28, 2010 WILTON - A tree harvest operation on the land surrounding the New Reservoir on Sand Hill Road will begin within the next few weeks, and should generate enough income to offset engineering costs associated with the Mill Brook Dam. Fort Mountain Company, of Allenstown, will take advantage of the dry summer and begin the logging operation sometime in October, according to forester Patrick Kenney. "It has been dry, and created the perfect condition for our equipment to get in here," Kenney said. "Otherwise we'd have to wait 'til things froze over this winter." Kenney pointed out trees slated for harvest Friday during a walk-through with conservation commission members Spencer Brookes and Bart Hunter. The logging operation will last three weeks and generate about $7,000 for the town, Kenney estimated. That money will likely be used to offset the $6,500 the town will pay to engineering firm Wright-Pierce for its analysis of whether to repair or remove the Mill Brook Dam. Town officials pointed to this expected income to help sell voters on approving the engineering costs, but Kenney said the income generated from the harvest is not the main benefit to cutting the trees. "This is a managed cut designed to produce quality timber and wildlife habitat. We are cutting out the damaged trees so in future years you have a better forest," Kenney said. If the town wanted to maximize its income, it could have decided to clear the entire area, he said. Instead, most of the trees that will be cut are pine trees damaged in the 2008 ice storm. That storm significantly damaged the 20 acres of forest around the reservoir owned by the town. Many of the pine trees, which were planted sometime in the 1930s by local Boy Scouts, have broken tops. Kenney pointed out dozens of those trees, and said if they were not harvested, they would likely die and fall on their own within a few years. This widespread damage means that some areas, such as the point visible from Sand Hill Road, will have very few trees remaining after the harvest. For the most part, though, the logging operation will only thin out the forest. The area was last logged about 15 years ago, and Kenney said more regular cuttings could help improve the health of remaining trees. "In general the areas that have been cut in the past have fared better than the unharvested areas. ... Those thinned trees have more developed crowns, there is less ice damage and dense regeneration in the under story," Kenney said. "This is a managed cut designed to produce quality timber and wildlife habitat. We are cutting out the damaged trees so in future years you have a better forest," Kenney said. If the town wanted to maximize its income, it could have decided to clear the entire area, he said. Instead, most of the trees that will be cut are pine trees damaged in the 2008 ice store. That storm significantly damaged the 20 acres of forest around the reservoir owned by the town. Many of the pine trees, which were planted sometime in the 1930s by local Boy Scouts, have broken tops. Kenney pointed out dozens of those trees, and said if they were not harvested, they would likely die and fall on their own within a few years. This widespread damage means that some areas, such as the point visible from Sand Hill Road, will have very few trees remaining after the harvest. For the most part, thought, the logging operation will only thin out the forest. The area was last logged about 15 years ago, and Kenney said more regular cuttings could help improve the health of remaining trees. "In general the areas that have been cut in the past have fared better than the unharvested areas….Those thinned trees have more developed crowns, there is less ice damage and dense regeneration in the under story," Kenney said. While we live in a state that is over 80% forest there still needs to be education on what a managed timber harvest with a forest management plan is and what it will do for the long term health and welfare of our forests. Special thanks to Nick Martin & Steve Leone at the Monadnock Ledger Transcript.
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A timber harvest has been compared to weeding a garden; when we plant the garden in the spring it is done with the knowledge that as gardeners we will be watering, fertilizing, and weeding all through the growing season in order to have fresh produce. When we harvest timber we want to be sure to remove the dead, damaged or diseased trees to promote a healthy forest and a quality wildlife habitat. Our actions are to benefit the land and water quality in and around the area.