Cutting down trees in a forest – on Mount Monadnock no less – is a scary proposition for many but believe it or not, it does come with a breadth of benefits for the environment and hikers.
This past Saturday, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests lead a timber harvest tour on land it owns on the mountain, offering the about 40 in attendance an opportunity to learn all about the benefits of the nonprofits’ selective tree cutting.
“People oftentimes judge a timber harvest like this be what they can see,” said Dave Anderson, Director of Education and Volunteer Services with the Forest Society. “That’s why we are so enthusiastic about hosting these tours; cutting these trees can lead to positive changes.”
Overall, the Forest Society will selectively cut 250 acres of trees on land that it owns on Mount Monadnock. The nonprofit organization owns more than 4,500 acres on the mountain, almost 2,800 acres of which is set aside of an ecological reserve.
The benefits, according to Managing Forester Wendy Weisiger, are numerous. Cutting trees provides revenue to maintain land on the mountain, allows remaining tree to grow better, and provides a number of ecological benefits.
Cutting trees not only provides revenue for the nonprofit to keep itself up and running, but cutting specific trees allows for others to grow better.
The timber harvest is taking place on the western side of the lower slopes of the mountain, specifically on the Marlboro Trail off Shaker Farm Road. Licensed forester Jeff Snitkin of Bay State Forestry is administering the harvest.
A 50 acre portion of harvest area contains deep and rich soil, which currently supports red oak, sugar maple, and white ash. Trees in this area will be cut in small groups, which should help create conditions to naturally regenerate sugar maple and yellow birch trees.
Upslope of this area, a 15 acre area will be cut to favor regeneration of red oak trees, which need large one to two acre canopy openings to be successful.
In both area, the priority is removing trees that are poor quality or that are ecologically and financially mature. Weisiger said that about 6,500 board feet – or 26 log trucks – will be removed. The land was last harvested in the late 1980s and won’t need to be cut for another 20 years, according to the Forest Society’s plan.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com.