Sustainable Forestry at the Robert Areson Conservation Area
UVLT will be holding a timber tour at our Robert Areson Conservation Area on February 8th at 1:30 pm. We will be joined by Forester Tii McLane and Logger Dylan Kidder to view the recent logging activities and answer questions about sustainable forestry, land management, and UVLT’s goals for the property.
The Robert Areson Conservation Area was given to UVLT in the summer of 2018 by the six Areson siblings who inherited the property from their father, Robert Areson, who purchased the property in 1965. In 2002, his children fulfilled his wishes to see the property protected forever, by donating a conservation easement and limiting future uses of the property. The Areson siblings saw gifting the property to UVLT to manage and steward as an extension of their promise to their father.
Prior to UVLT’s ownership of the property the Areson’s had managed it for wildlife habitat and timber resources. UVLT will continue the forestry regime set out in the forest management plan the Areson’s had developed. This blog post is intended to provide answers to common questions about forest management on conserved lands.
If you would like to join us for the tour please register by e-mailing Alison Marchione at alison.marchione@uvlt.org or calling (603)643-6626. Space is limited so register soon! While the logging is happening some trails are closed for everyone’s safety. Please be mindful of the trail closure signs while out enjoying the property
Why is UVLT harvesting timber on conserved property?
As a landowner, UVLT aims to manage our properties to improve their ecological health and long-term resiliency and support the working landscape and recreational use.
What type of logging is common on UVLT’s land?
Our goals for management are to sustain high quality wildlife habitat and ecological integrity of a northern hardwood forest. With these goals, the research evidence is that one should be using techniques that result in an uneven-aged forest of at least three age classes, and preferably more, with a diversity of species present. An uneven-aged harvest typically uses selection of small groups of trees to mimic natural forest processes.
Why is this particular property being logged?
The Robert Areson Conservation Area was scheduled for harvest in 2016 under the current forest management plan written for the previous owners. The harvest was started but had not yet been completed when UVLT received the property. UVLT intends to complete the timber harvest and put the money from that harvest into the dedicated endowment for the property, to provide funds for stewardship and management going forward.
The Areson property is particularly suited to a transition to uneven aged management. There are a greater number of large and medium trees on the Areson property that will allow harvesting of saw timber sized trees and ensure that there will be enough of each age class left to create an uneven aged forest. The openings created by the cuts will mimic a natural disturbance pattern, creating early successional habitat with a full suite of hardwood species. This improves the forests wildlife habitat, especially for birds who use the early successional habitat as a nursery for young birds where it is easy to find food.
Will the logging affect the trails on the property?
We anticipate any damage to the trails will be minimal and will be easily returned to their normal state once the logging is complete. Many of the trails on the property are old logging roads and being used by the logger this time as well. Once logging as completed all the trails will be reopened.
