Sustainable Forestry at the Richardson Memorial Preserve
A harvest had been partially completed at Richardson in 2015 but did not accomplish goals and left the north woodlot in poor condition. Our Stewardship Committee under the guidance of Jon Doty from Two Trees Forestry, implemented a forest management plan drawn up in 2018 to recover decaying balsam fir stands and promote regeneration of a diverse wildlife friendly woodland in the north woodlot. Two Trees contracted with low impact operator, Tyler Reynolds and we then notified our abutters that we would begin logging. Work began in the first days of October 2021. The harvest was monitored by Jon and committee members including our forester, Daniel Hill, across multiple visits to make sure that we got exactly what we wanted.
BEFORE FORESTRY
AFTER FORESTRY
We are very pleased with the resulting woodland, which at this point looks open at spots, but should regenerate nicely. Tyler was extremely responsive to our directives, understanding that our primary goal was to produce a more sustainable forest while clearing the damaged stands which made previous trails impassable. The work paid for itself, and several areas were left untouched including a wide buffer along Sandy Stream. Before the harvest we had marked out potential trails and undertaken pre-harvest invasive plant control. The area around the Carl Richardson memorial was cleared of downed trees, so it can be more easily located by interested visitors. The north end harvest looks great with the beginnings of a healthy forest now evident.
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There were no formal existing trails when forest management began, but trails were developed in 2022 at the north end of the preserve. Access them across the field north of the farm access road which goes downhill from the kiosk. In the future, we hope to extend the system further south and possible connect with to the Hills to Sea network across Sandy Stream. We look forward to seeing what it looks like after a few years of re-growth. Come and check it out!