Kirchner Woods Multi-Use Trail System, Stowe, VT

Together with Hardy Avery of Sustainable Trailworks of Morrisville, Vermont, we completed the installation of an incredible 3 mile non-motorized multiple use trail system for the Stowe Land Trust. A wide machine-built path leads 1/4 mile from the signed parking lot to a historic sugarhouse, where users can choose form easy loop walks on upgraded woods roads, a 1/2 mile singletrack loop, and a 1/2 mile spur with a loop around the top of Taber Hill. The trails are great for hiking, mountain biking and winter uses, and have been well received by local recreationists. For information on how to find the trails at Kirchner Woods, contact the Stowe Land Trust online.

Enjoy these photos of the trail in-progress and completed:

Woodland Trail & Light Forestry, Wilton, NH

Proving that no lot is too small for some good forestry, we recently completed an improvement thinning and built a beautiful trail on less than 2 acres in the small southern New Hampshire town of Wilton. The small lot could have been overlooked by many, but we delved into the intricacies of the land, and sought to bring the varied and colorful detail of the forest to life for the engaged residents, Daniel and Equinimiti. A wide, gravel-surfaced trail meandering through the forest now gives them the opportunity to silently and comfortably move through the majestic stand of numerous trees, including red oak, black oak, white oak, white pine, white ash, black birch, yellow birch, gray birch, paper birch, hemlock, shagbark hickory, American beech, bigtooth aspen, quaking aspen, red cedar, red maple, and sugar maple, as well as numerous shrubs, ferns, grasses, and wildflowers.

Natural & Cultural Resources Inventory of Kirchner Woods, Stowe Land Trust, Vermont

We have teamed up with Hardy Avery of Sustainable Trailworks in Morristown, Vermont, to design and build a non-motorized multi-use trail system on a beautiful, recently conserved 75 acre property in Stowe Vermont called Kirchner Woods. Our client, Stowe Land Trust, has more than just recreation in mind: they intend to protect sensitve natural communities and preserve options for forest management while still providing an exceptional recreation opportunity. The first phase of this extensive project was a walk-through inventory and mapping of wetlands, sensitive areas, unique natural communities, large and old trees, unique forest stands, and more. What we provided for them was a detailed map of these features as well as an accompanying report that describes and highlights the areas to be cautious with and the areas to focus trail installation on. Kirchner Woods is an amazing gem of a conservation property. Located just a mile from downtown Stowe, it preserves a large sugarbush, rich northern hardwood forests, diverse hemlock-yellow birch wetlands, dense red spruce cover habitat, and numerous interesting ecological features. Utilizing this information, Hardy has designed a trail system that focuses on the exceptional beauty and some areas of educational interest, while avoiding areas we determined too sensitive to risk degradation through excessive recreational use. Phase 2 of this project begins next spring when we complete the build out of the trail and open it to use by mid-summer.

Field work over two weeks in September produced the information we

used to generate this map of Kirchner Woods.

Trail Maintenance Leadership, Monadnock Conservancy & Eastern Mountain Sports, Peterborough, NH

Peterborough, NH is the home of Eastern Mountain Sports which employs hundreds of folks enthusiastic about the outdoors. This source of hearty volunteers came in handy in 2008 when the Monadnock Conservancy sought help for cleaning up their trail on a piece if land they own in Peterborough. The Conservancy requested the involvement of Preserve Land Works in organizing and leading the cleanup and repair of the short trail, which with the help of 20 people went real quick. With time to spare, we moved north to the Walcott Preserve in Hancock, NH, where we cleaned the trail through this town conservation land. EMS generously allowed their employees the day off for this volunteering, and they gave us all a great bar-b-que after!

Hiking Trail, Spectacle Pond, Roxbury, NH

Nothing brings the land to life more than a well designed and crafted trail. It should come as no surprise to most of us in New England that the forest is a bit dense in places, and downright difficult to bushwhack through if you're not in the mood. This 1/2 mile footpath on a 17.5 acre lot in Roxbury allows the owners to silently and easily pass through very old hemlock forest nearing old-growth stature; rich shrub communities with hobblebush, witchhazel, blueberries, native honeysuckles, dogwoods, pepperbush, huckleberry, shadbush, and others; vernal pools; and the highlight, more than 1500 feet of shoreline on Spectacle Pond.

An old hemlock along the trail at Spectacle Pond. The scar was caused by a fire decades ago, which may have escaped from a burning field. Well-designed trails 'connect the dots', or move the user from one interesting feature to the next, whether it's a large tree, a view, a mossy log, or any other feature that stands out. Not only does this make the trail more visually enticing, but also serves as an educational tool.

What's involved in establishing a long-lasting and enjoyable trail like this?

-It's critical that the land is thoroughly inventoried for unique natural features, suitable topography, natural contours, and wet & sensitive areas to avoid.

-A potential path should be plotted on a map to see how it utilizes the shape and features of the lot. This should then be reviewed with the landowner.

-The path is then flagged out and walked to assure that the course follows the best natural features and contours, and possibilities for losing the trail are minimized. Make changes if necessary.

-Construction begins! Clearing the debris, cutting necessary trees, and pruning all branches that are in the trailspace now and might be in the future. Opening a broad vertical space creates a feeling of a high forest canopy even in dense young forest. It's also important to drag the brush far enough off the trail that it is not an eyesore or a safety hazard.

-Final touches; raking the thick duff off the path, contouring corners, filling low spots, cutting stumps low, building bridges, and opening/accenting natural views of scenic features.

A well designed and built trail can last for a long time and provide years of enjoyment. For this particular landowner, it opened their eyes to their own land in a way they couldn't have anticipated, allowing them to access special spots that formerly required a serious undertaking to get to.

Forest Ecosystem Management Plan, Beard Brook, Hillsborough, NH

Every piece of land is different, and every landowners approach to managing their land is different. This particular piece of land, while only 17.5 acres, has tremendous potential for wildlife habitat enhancement, watershed protection, and recreation for the owners who live on-site. The land is bound along one edge by the beautiful Beard Brook, just above the popular and stunning Gleason Falls. Remarkable 150-200 year old dry-laid stone bridges cross the brook in several places in this part of Hillsborough; some of which there is no record of who built them.

Dry-laid stone bridge over Beard Brook

This property features a stunning riparian floodplain corridor rich with ferns, forbs, shrubs, and grasses. The upland oak-pine forest represents a transition from pasture to mature forest, and our focus will be create small canopy gaps and allow varied regeneration to establish that will move the stand towards a multi-aged forest of diverse tree species and ages. Tending the regeneration following a timber harvest 10 years ago will enhance this age class and ensure development of a high-quality cohort of trees. Establishing trails and water crossings for the homeowner to use for firewood harvesting is another management objective. It is true that small lots are a challenge in forestry, but as fragmentation, development, and parcelization continue, we will learn to overcome this and maximize the often high potential of these parcels. Cost-share agreements with the Natural Resources Conservation Service facilitate this work, as does our general approach to helping people see whats right in front of them, and working together to make the forest work for them.

Pisgah Old-Growth Field Tour with the Forest Guild

The Forest Guild is a national forestry organization comprised of varied members from government, private, academic, and non-profit backgrounds. The Guild's mission, in short, is to promote and practice excellent forestry. Part of the process of practicing excellent forestry is to spend time with fellow professionals in the field observing some of what nature does without human influence. To this end, New Hampshire and Massachusetts Forest Guild members convened at Pisgah State Park in southwestern New Hampshire to see first-hand relict old-growth oak, pine, and hemlock stands that survived the immense hurricane of 1938. Leaders Amber Fields and Joe Trudeau took the small but dedicated group on a 7 mile hike through mature forest patches, and ultimately, to visit the notorious "Harvard Tract". This ~25 acre parcel, owned by Harvard University, was in 1938 an old-growth pine forest that established in the mid 1600's. The hurricane blew down most of the stand, and a hemlock-hardwood forest now grows there. Several remaining 400 year old white pines and hemlocks still stand, which were the highlight of a day filled with good conversation, great insights into natural disturbance, and camaraderie among peers of many generations.