Introduction – The Chocorua Lake Conservancy (CLC) plans to initiate two projects on CLC-owned lands this summer. The first will be the selective cutting of timber on the Forrester A. Clark Preserve and the second will be the initial groundwork necessary to begin improving native brook trout habitat in Allen Brook on the Scott Preserve. Both projects were first described in the “Forest Stewardship Plan” that was prepared in 2014 by Forest Land Improvement, Inc. of Chocorua.
Subsequent to the writing of this plan, the CLC received a 3-year, US Department of Agriculture, National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) grant for the improvement of the forest and wildlife habitat on land owned by the CLC. Under this grant, timber harvest, improvement of trails and landings, plantings for improvement of wildlife habitat, and trout-habitat improvement on Allen Brook are to take place in the 2017–2018 timeframe.
Timber Harvest on the Forester A. Clark Preserve – Harvesting of trees will begin around August 1, 2017 after forest-nesting birds have raised their young and danger to roosting bats is no longer a problem. The cutting will incorporate the “cut to length” methodology rather than “biomass harvest”. This means that only the marketable logs will be moved by “forwarders” from the surrounding forest to the landing by the kiosk at the southern end of the long esker along the Old Mail Road. The tree tops and branches will be left where they fall to provide cover for wildlife and return nutrients to the soil as they rot. The logs will then be trucked to market over the Old Mail Road ROW, Chocorua Lake Road and Philbrook Neighborhood Road.
The timbering will be done using the “patch methodology”. This means that irregularly-shaped openings will be cut throughout the preserve leaving swaths of forest between cuts to provide cover for wildlife and seed for regeneration of new forest. The open patches will in turn provide young, new shoots for deer and moose to graze upon as well as habitat for other animals who like to live at boundaries between the open spaces and woods. Extra care will be taken not to cut near those special places many of us so treasure on the reserve. These spots would include such places as the large glacial erratics at the junction of the Old Mail Road and the trail up Bickford Heights, the old cellar hole and stone fences that surround it, the hunter's blind and adjacent to streams and wetlands. In addition, cutting will not occur close to existing trails except where logging roads by necessity must cross such trails.
But because all logging operations are inherently dangerous, the Old Mail Road trail and others in the Clark Preserve must be closed for the duration of the operation. Although the duration of this closure is uncertain at this time because it is primarily dependent upon weather conditions, exact timing will be posted.
Following completion of the timber harvest, funds from the NRCS grant will be used to stabilize and seed the landing and logging road, and new plantings shall be established for use by wildlife.
Trout Habitat Improvement in Allen Brook on the Abigail Adams Scott-Korson Nature Preserve – Funds from the NRCS grant are also available for the improvement of approximately 1000 feet of stream habitat for native brook trout in Allen Brook. Under the direction of Dick Fortin from Tin Mountain, habitat improvement will be achieved by felling trees into the brook to create deep pools where trout can seek shelter and where sand and gravel bars that are necessary for spawning success can accumulate. Work will begin this July when a survey of the number and size of fish will be made and the brook surveyed. Volunteers may well be needed in this effort – be sure to keep tuned!!
During the late fall and winter, all necessary permits will be obtained and the actual felling of trees will begin next spring and early summer. This fish survey is particularly exciting as it will be the first investigation of fish in waters on land owned by the CLC.
Field-Trip Opportunities – Field trips will be planned this summer for people who wish to see first hand these exciting land-management projects. Multiple trips will be held to provide a before and after oversight of what is being done as well as to inform land owners of the techniques that could be employed upon their own land holdings. We hope many will avail themselves of this unique opportunity! Again, be sure to stay tuned!
http://vt.audubon.org/sites/g/files/amh751/f/bird-guide.pdf
http://vt.audubon.org/conservation/foresters-birds
https://www.tinmountain.org/program-descriptions/research-monitoring/
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/wildlife/profiles/wap/fish-brooktrout.pdf