Forest Guild members and other interested:
The upcoming Pisgah State Park old-growth forest field trip (July 19, 2009) has homework! To gain a better perspective of the history and conditions of the Pisgah forests, see this great paper by Harvard's David Foster. Check back in just before the outing for any additional information.
To download 2mb pdf visit our file sharing link below:
http://groups.google.com/group/preservelandworks
Also, you can download the tri-fold brochure of the outing at that site for all the information you'll need.
Mapping Protected Lands and Natural Features of Roxbury, N.H. and Surroundings
Private landowners in Roxbury requested a detailed conservation lands map for their own uses. They enjoy exploring the wild lands around them, but a good regional map is not available. This is a problem common to southwestern New Hampshire; plenty of open spaces to enjoy but few maps showing any detail. In addition to navigation, our clients, Amy & Carol, have discussed the possibility of protecting their own 17 acres. The map shows to them the various entities involved in land conservation in the area, the levels of protection of these areas, and it highlights the connectivity of these lands. A surprising 5,300 acres of conservation land are contiguous, and only minutes from the city of Keene. Amy & Carols property, which has extensive frontage on Spectacle Pond, would expand that base of contiguous conservation land and continue on the thoughtful work of many landowners, municipalities, and land trusts who have over the years amassed this impressive block of protected land.
Conservation Lands Mapping for Souhegan Valley Land Trust
The Souhegan Valley Land Trust (SVLT) recently deeded a critical piece of conservation land to the Town of Lyndeborough, NH. While only a few acres in size, the Lower Purgatory Falls Conservation Area features a spectacular 30 foot waterfall, popular hiking trails, historic sawmill infrastructure, and a stretch of Purgatory Brook. This property is within the Purgatory Brook Conservation Focus Area identified by Preserve Land Works for Lyndeborough in the Natural Resources Inventory we recently completed. SVLT asked us to prepare a publication quality GIS-based map of the area to serve as a baseline documentation of the property and the surrounding parcels.
Edward McDowell Lake Trail Maintenance
2009 marks the second year Preserve Land Works was chosen to maintain the trail system at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Edward McDowell Lake Project. The 1,200 acre tract of public land encompasses several miles of beautiful brooks, extensive wetlands, and unmanaged upland forests. The December 2008 ice storm toppled and damaged many trees, leaving the trails in terrible condition. We have been working hard to open the trails and fell hazard trees in close proximity to the trails. The West Ridge Trail follows the west side of the lake from NH Route 137 to the dam at the base of the lake. The trail passes through incredible mature forest well on its way towards attaining an 'old-growth' character. If you're up for a hike and would like to see something new, try this trail out, and enjoy the hard work we've been putting in for the publics benefit. Details can be found at the project webpage: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/recreati/eml/emlhome.htm
Fruit Tree Pruning
The pruning season has come to an end, as buds have broken, leaves have appeared, and some trees are flowering. This season we pruned over 70 apple, crabapple, pear, cherry, peach, and other fruit trees in Lyndeborough, Greenfield, Hancock, and Peterborough, NH. Most of these trees had not been pruned or released for almost a decade. Maintaining fruit trees is an important aspect of conservation. The flowers are valuable pollinator habitat, the fruits are enjoyed by wildlife and people alike, and the diversity of varieties and strains protects our region from large scale destruction by tree pests and pathogens. Furthermore, unpruned fruit trees can look unsightly and will not live as long as well cared for trees. It is sad to see many of the once lively and productive orchards in southwestern NH growing in and falling apart. We are proud to be part of the effort to revitalize and restore these important trees throughout the region, and we applaud the efforts of commercial orchards and private landowners who are maintaining this tradition despite difficult economic pressures. As the global economy continues to change and localization becomes even more important, we will be thankful for those who took the effort to keep these trees healthy and abundant. If you have fruit trees on your property and would like a professional assessment of their health and options for conservation, call us up and we'll take a look. However, we won't be pruning again until March 2010.
Early Succesional Habitat Creation, Roxbury, NH
This summer we will be implementing the creation of a semi-permanent woodland opening in a homogenous hemlock-hardwood-pine forest in the Monadnock Region of NH. The even aged forest has low plant species richness and offers limited habitat opprtunities for native wildlife. The 1.5 acre opening (part of a 17 acre property) will focus on creating a small grassland adjacent to a red maple forested swamp, a dense hemlock stand used by deer for winter yarding, and existing young hardwood forests. This project is part of a longer term ecosystem inventory and managment plan for this property. The landowners have a strong interest in enhancing habitat, creating views, and increasing diversity. A funding request has been submitted to the WHIP program of NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) which will be helpful in making this non-commercial timber harvest more affordable. A unique aspect of forest management that Preserve Land Works offers is that we not only provide inventory and planning, but we will actually complete the work on-the-ground, ensuring that the project takes shape in the most ecologically effective manner. As we get going we will post updates.
Tree Planting at Sugar Woods, Bradford, NH
In late April we planted nearly 200 seedlings at Sugar Woods, our 54 acre demonstration forest in Bradford, NH. The highly diverse forest was logged heavily, but relatively sensitively, in 2004. Tree regeneration is dominated by beech, a typical situtaion in central NH. In one location we cleared a small area, applied a light surface fire, and planted black cherry, paired with an area we did not burn for comparison. Also, we planted silver maples in the sandy floodplain; white spruce, larch, red pine, and mountain ash in an upland area; and numerous fruiting shrubs throughout the riparian area. Stabilizing the riparian community, restoring degraded streambanks, and enhancing future forest diversity were major goals with this treatment. All seedlings were purchased from the NH State Nursery, a good source for affordable and locally-adapted tree and shrub seedlings.
Grand Canyon Backpacking 2009
This April, Joe led another successful week-long backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon with 8 students from Bow High School in Bow, NH. He and his co-leader James Doneski have been taking students into the wilderness for ten years now, ranging from New England to Arizona. This, our second trip to the Grand Canyon, took us across the Escalante Route, a difficult trek in the eastern part of the canyon. Near-record low temperatures and snow at the beginning of the trip slowly gave way to 85 degrees and sunshine by the end. The fantastic group of students made for a great trip in a beautiful setting; despite a scorpion sting early in the trip. Preserve Land Works is equipped to plan and guide backcountry expeditions virtually anywhere in the United States. For custom trips led by expert naturalists contact us anytime. Already in line is another trip with Bow High School in 2010!
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