UVLT’s Brookmead Conservation Area Provides Firewood Assistance

UVLT staff and volunteers have been sawing and splitting downed trees from the Brookmead Conservation Area forest into firewood. The trees had been taken down from near the trail and the cabin area earlier in the summer to reduce the risk of damage to the cabin by blow downs.

UVLT Stewardship Director Jason Berard explained that UVLT sought to put the logs to good use rather than leaving them by the side of the trail, “Once we had determined that nearly all of the trees we had to take down were hardwoods, we decided that it was better to turn them into firewood rather than leave them on the ground around the cabin. If it were a more remote setting, we would leave them on the ground for ecological reasons.”

 

All told volunteers bucked and split one and a half cords of wood for the town’s fire wood assistance program. This program was initially developed by the Norwich Tree Warden and is now a part of the Public Works Department. The goal of the program is to assist folks in Norwich and other Upper Valley communities who need fuel assistance by providing firewood to heat their homes during the winter months. The fuel assistance program is located at The Woodlot on beaver meadow road on land owned by the Norwich Fire District.

From this volunteer day UVLT and volunteers delivered 1.5 cords of wood to The Woodlot. A big thank you to the volunteers involved: Gerry Plummer, Tom Faughnan, Jim Faughnan, Abe Owen, and David Hubbard. Also thank you to Steven Taylor for the use of his splitter, Peter Guillette for the use of his dump truck, and Jay Van Arman for using his tractor to move the trees!

UVLT’s forward-looking mission brings people together to conserve land that makes our communities more resilient, healthy, and sustainable for all. We are happy to help warm homes and appreciative for the many hands that make this possible.