Some Follow-ups...

Hi everyone!  The field season has finally wrapped up for the year (with the exception of some burning some accumulated piles of brush once we get snow cover...stay tuned for that!) so I have been posting less often and getting some much needed time in the office to work on record keeping, maps, and other projects.  I did want to follow up on a few stories from this busy summer though.  First, here's a shot of the cleared view on the top of Sunset Hill on the Hay Reservation.  It's not the greatest photo since my phone was running out of battery and I only got in one shot before it died.  The view is even better from a little further up the slope.  So, even though we couldn't see anything for the socked-in fog on the Hay Reservation workday, we managed to improve the vista significantly.  Nice work everyone!

We also recently held a little dedication ceremony at the new Kennelly Forest bridge for those of you who worked on that this past summer.  A small brass plaque was installed, and we had a toast to the completion of this project, which took over 300 hours of volunteer labor to accomplish.  I'm happy to report that the bridge held up well even with all of us standing on it at the same time!  Cheers, everyone, and happy Thanksgiving to you all :)

Chainsaw Time Again...

Twice a year we offer a Chainsaw Safety and Maintenance Workshop at the Conservation Center in Concord.  The course is designed to give participants instruction on how to operate a chainsaw safely in the woods.  Land Stewards are required to take the class in order to use a saw on Forest Society property, so there is usually a good number of stewards or soon-to-be stewards in the class.  This week's class was no exception.  Of the 12 participants, 8 were land stewards with varying amounts of prior experience operating chainsaws.  Forester Jake Bronnenberg of Bronnenberg Logging &Trucking, along with SPNHF Forester Wendy Weisiger, led the group through saw maintenance, safety gear, and proper felling and bucking techniques.  Particpants practiced at each step, using their own saws when possible.  Even long-time saw users generally learn some new tips at the workshop, and novices get a head-full of information to practice and remember the next time they start up their saw!

What is this strange totem pole?  Well, it's the result of many chainsaw students practicing making open-faced notches  and bore cuts.  We've got a few of these in the woods at Forest Society reservations thanks to our years giving this safety course!   If you ever find one, you'll know what it is now!

View Cutting by Memory at Hay Reservation

Well, the rain hasn't let up any since our soggy Trail Maintenance Workshop last week.  Despite the bleary forecast, a group of hardy land stewards and staff headed out to the Hay Reservation in Newbury yesterday to work on the trails and expanding some of the views from the top of Sunset Hill.  Luckily, most of us had been up to the top many times before and knew where the view was supposed to be, since it was so socked in that the only views were of were of gray masses of cloud.  With fifteen workers, the job of expanding the (temporarily) imaginary view went quickly, and we had time to clean out a lot of silted in waterbars, brush out the trail corridor, and expand a view of Mt. Kearsarge (again, imagined, on that day) to the north from the Kidder Trail.  It was a full day of trailwork by the time we were done, and we had to keep moving all the time or else risk getting seriously chilled in our waterlogged clothing.  I, for one, know that as soon as I got home and had a hot shower and a hot meal, it was all I could do to keep my eyes open that evening!  Looking forward to some photos of the improved views from Hay land stewards Bruce Barton, Bruce Healey and Tom Nowell once the skies dry out.  I'll post them as soon as they arrive!

A quick lunch before we get chilled on the top of Sunset Hill

Todd Wagner (left) and Bob Lyon (right) clear a view with loppers and hand saws

Trail Maintenance & Design

Andrew Norkin (left) of AMC talks about sustainable trail design last Friday in Concord

Last week the Forest Society and the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) co-hosted a workshop entitled "Trail Maintenance and Design Basics" at SPNHF's Conservation Center in Concord.  The workshop was for land stewards (SPNHF) and forest stewards (NEFF) who assist with trail development and maintenance on conservation lands but have not had much in the way of formal training in the past.  Many other trail maintainers from local and regional groups also attended.  Instructors Andrew Norkin and Kris Kebler, both from the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), spent a great deal of time describing all of the planning and factors which go into the creation of a truly sustainable trail, one that will need only routine maintenance over time and will not be overwhelmed by soil compaction, displacement and erosion.  The take-home message was definitely that this process is not a simple or a "quick" one...trails that are delineated arbitrarily, or along existing "social trails" or woods roads, are not likely to be sustainable over the long term, depending upon how much and what types of use they get.  Sustainable trails require a lot of time in exploring the land and planning a layout, getting buy-in from the community and potential maintainers, determining user groups, access and control points, and planning erosion control infrastructure.  For better or for worse, we rarely have the opportunity to do all of that on Forest Society reservations, as our properties often come to us with trail networks already in existence, and already in use! Still, knowing how to create a sustainable trail from scratch can also be helpful for figuring out options to make an existing trail better.

After a morning indoor session, the group of 25 participants braved the chilly rain and headed outdoors to look at some local examples of trail construction.  Both good and poor examples were highlighted.  As a final exercise, the group planned a mock "reroute" of an existing trail, flagging out a new route for an existing section of trail that would help shed water using grade dips and reversals.  The shorter (less distance, and less time) and slower (less steep) that water runs on/down a trail, the fewer erosion problems will result!  We didn't actually re-route the trail, but everyone gained a better understanding of how to lay out a sustainable natural surface trail.  Thanks to the folks at AMC for a great workshop.

Gap Mountain

It was quite cool this morning so I thought it would be a great day to do a little trail work.  There is a point on the North Trail of Gap Mountain where hikers create short-cuts along a switchback in the trail.  I needed some new material to brush it in so I figured I may as well take the brush from a nearby view point in an old orchard.  One thing led to another and now the view is open again.  Maybe I will return in the spring to do a little trimming on the apple trees.

Before

After

If you have never hiked to the top on Gap Mountain in Troy, autumn is the time to do it.  The trail is much quieter than any of the trails on Monadnock and the view at the top is great and at only 1 1/2 miles, about half the distance of Monadnock.

Thank You Volunteers!

More than 50 people gathered this week for our annual Forest Society Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.  Guests included not only land stewards but also office volunteers, participants in Monadnock Trails Week, and green building and floodplain tour guides.  President-Forester Jane Difley welcomed the group and announced our Volunteer of the Year award, which is being given to land steward Linda Howes this year for her wonderful work providing visitor outreach at Grafton Pond Reservation.  Then it was time dig in and eat lasagna, salad, bread, and cake...while of course socializing with fellow volunteers and staff.  Thank you to everyone who came to the dinner and made it a great success, and thank you to those who could not make it, but should absolutely still be thanked!!

Dump Pickers 101

Last week we had probably one of the least appealing land steward workdays I can think of at Moose Mountains Reservation: a dump clean-up.  This wasn't just a collection of materials left by people not wanting to pay a dump fee to dispose of their waste now and then; this was years (decades even) of household trash dumped in a single location.  Since that location is very visible - right next to the Moose Mountains parking area and kiosk - we scheduled this workday to get as much of it cleaned up as possible.

 "before" shots of the MMR dump

Land Steward Bob Lyon and DRED employee Bob Spoerl haul trash to the dumpster

Jason finds an old knife

 The metal pile (L) and the site when we were finished (R)

Thankfully the trash had been there long enough that most of the organic material was gone, leaving mostly glass bottles and metal, but when we started digging and bottles started breaking it definitely got stinky pretty quickly.  From some of the items we found (old license plates, soda cans, etc) we were able to date the dump to the late 40s and early 50s.  The coolest finds were probably old bottles and farm equipment (including a horseshoe); the creepiest were old doll parts, and the grossest a full jar of cold cream from the 1950s (wrinkle treatment, anyone?).  When we had cleaned up several layers of trash, we covered over the site with branches and leaves to conceal it, and called it a day.  Only about a quarter of the 30yd dumpster was filled, but we also hauled out a half dumpster full of metal (taken by scrappers within minutes of Wendy listing it on Craigslist) and about 25 tires.  We are truly grateful for the 8 volunteers who came out to help on this workday- it was not a pretty one!

creepiest find

The dump crew (minus Wendy, taking the photo)

Clear Views from Silver Mountain

The views from the top of Silver Mountain on the Forest Society's Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest in Lempster were much improved last week thanks to a crew of land stewards and staff.  Sue Lichty, the land steward for Ashuelot River, suggested the workday since the top of the mountain has been growing in steadily since the last time the view was cleared.  This turned out to be the Land Management interns' last day, so they ended on a high note with their chainsaws running all day!  We had about 5 chainsaws going and at least that many people with hand saws and loppers, so the work progressed quickly and we were done by 1pm... which was good, since the day was hot and we were all plenty tired by then.  Sue baked homemade cookies to share, and we ate them while enjoying our newly expanded view before hiking down the mountain.  Workday perfection!

Stefan Pouliot working at the summit

Bob Lyon hauls cut trees

Dogs loved the workday too

Sue Lichty in one of her favorite places

Check out Phoebe's Nable!

Phoebe's Nable on the Forest Society's Moose Mountains Reservation may win the prize for the strangest named mountain in New Hampshire.  No one I've talked to yet has been able to tell me what a Nable is, or what someone named Phoebe might be doing with it.  Nevertheless, it's one of the many great hikes you can find at our 3,000+ acre Moose Mountains Reservation in Middleton and Brookfield.  Land Stewards Jason Morris and Scott Lavoice have been very  hard at work on this vast property making it possible (and enjoyable!) for hikers to explore all the wonderful out-of the-way vistas and scenic landscapes at Moose Mountains.  To that end, Jason recently directed our two Land Management interns, Will and Eric, for two days of view expansion on Phoebe's Nable Mountain.  The result is below, before and after.  If you haven't been to this property, you've got to check it out soon!  A link to Jason's blog is in the sidebar too- if you need any further convincing...

View at Phoebe's Nable- before

View at PHoebe's Nable NOW!!

High Blue Gets a New Addition, Trail & View!

High Blue Reservation in Walpole just got a little bigger and a little brighter.  A 59 acre addition to this forest was acquired by the Forest Society last month, thanks in large part to a single donor named Steve Grega who provided most of the funding to purchase the parcel.  The new piece abuts the original High Blue property, as well as Walpole's town forest, creating a very significant block of conserved land in this area.  The parcel also extend's High Blue's trail system considerably, adding a new 3/4 mile loop to the existing network of hiking trails.

Bud Ross, High Blue's land steward, is excited about the new addition!

Last week a crew of land stewards and volunteers, including Steve Grega himself, who had hiked this land for many years prior to his donation, gathered to clear and mark this "new" trail system, officially connecting it to the trails at High Blue.  We also spent some time clearing a magnificant view from the high point of the new parcel.  Now, visitors will be able to enjoy views to the west (on the original High Blue property) and also to the south and east (from the new addition).  As soon as I wrangle some photos of the finished view cut (I was working in another area when they finished up) I will post them here!

Walter Weeks trimming up the trail

Hiel Lindquist and Ruth Ward working in the view cut area

More Cleaning Up!

There seems to be no shortage of clean-up tasks this summer.  We went from hauling tires at Hedgehog Mountain one week to bagging up more trash at Hills Family Forest and Grandpa Watson's Woodlot the next.  Hills Forest and Grandpa Watson's Woodlot are relatively new Forest Society properties, on the Durham/Madbury line. We knew that there was a significant amount of dumped material to pick up there from previous visits to the property, but when our crew arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find that a good deal of it had already been cleaned up by some mysterious environmentalist or good neighbor group!  Still, there was a good half dump truck's worth of trash to keep us busy there, and we installed two new property signs for the reservations too.  Thanks to all who slapped on their rubber gloves for this one!

Gale Tobbe and her granddaughter Emma bag trash at Hills Family Forest

Loading it up

Someone does not appreciate "No Motorized Wheeled Vehicles" signs.... hmm.

Hedgehog Mountain Gets a Facelift

Gale Tobbe and Ben Haubrich clean up Hedgehog Mountain last week

  Sometimes a property comes to the Forest Society with more than just great views, wildlife habitat, timber and recreational trails.  Sometimes there is trash too.  When that happens, we call in the land steward team and do our best to clean up the affected areas following acquisition, returning the land to a natural state.  Hedgehog Mountain Forest in Deering is a property that is now over 1000 acres, but was acquired in pieces over the last few years, involving numerous different parties and acquisitions.  One area of the reservation did  contain some significant waste materials, so we held a workday last week to remove a good deal of it.  Six land stewards and five staff members came out armed with work gloves and contractor bags, and we quickly filled three truck loads of trash.  One whole truck was filled with tires- fifty two of them to be precise!  It's not the most glorious land steward activity, but it is strangely satisfying to load up a mountain of refuse into a huge dump truck and watch it roll away to the transfer station.

Fifty-two tires

Wendy's new friend, found under some trash

Some of the clean up crew (L to R): Len Martin, Hiel Lindquist, Al Cort, Wendy Weisiger, Fred Tobbe

Trucks rolling off to transfer station

In addition to removing a large amount of trash, we also installed a new property sign for the Hedgehog Moutnain Forest, along Hedgehog Mountain Road.  From this area, there is soon to be a marked trail up to the Hedghog Ridge, where  you can enjoy great views of the mountains to the south and west.  Another great Forest Society property to explore and enjoy!

New sign at Hedgehog Mountain Forest

Stewards Alan Cort and Ben Haubrich admire the view from the Hedgehog ridge.

Monadnock Trails Heat (I mean... Week!)

 I'm not sure why, but Monadnock Trails Week (MTW) always seems to fall on the hottest week of the year.  Maybe it's because we schedule it in mid-July every year, hoping for a miraculous 75 degrees and 20% humidity...and instead getting the reality that is 92 degrees 99% humidity!   In any case, Monadnock Trails Week this year was HOT!  The 39 volunteers and 8 staff who participated sweated and suffered (and smiled!) like crazy while climbing the mountain each day.

Rock work on White Arrow Trail

Our first few days were spent near treeline on the White Arrow Trail, constructing a new stone walking surface over a 60' stretch of muddy trail.  We had originally planned to construct timber bog bridging over at least 20' of this stretch but in the end we had so much rock to work with that we decided to go with durability over speed and make the entire length in rock.  Many gigantic boulders were unearthed and moved  into place using the griphoist and rock bars, and we also had to create a lot of gravel "the old fashioned way"...using a sledge hammer to break larger rocks into smaller ones.  The gravel was used to raise the surface of the trail and set the large rocks into.  This project came out beautifully in the end, and we only hope that it will stay above water when the spring rains come next year.  

Coggins sisters operating the griphoist

Rock step project near completion

On days 3 and 4 we worked on the White Cross Trail, one of the most heavily used routes to the summit that leaves from Park headquarters.  The White Cross Trail is suffering from one of the most common problems on trails used as heavily as those on Monadnock- bootleg trails.  Bootleg trails are those created by hikers preferring to walk through the forest on the side of the trail, as opposed to walking on the rocky and compacted surface of the trail itself.  This practice ends up causing erosion and results in widening of the trails over time, as the old "bootleg" becomes a rocky surface just like the rest of the trail and a new bootleg is created.  Our job was to fill in all of the bootleg trails with forest debris (branches, rocks, fallen trees, leaves, etc.) in order to make them clearly uninviting to hikers.  We felled a lot of dead and dying spruce trees (extra pokey and unfriendly to walk through) to place in the bootlegs over these two days!

Gale Tobbe helps fill in bootleg trails on White Cross Trail

John and Lise Bigl taking a break from bootleg filling

The final day of Monadnock Trails Week found us on the Monta Rosa trail, a pretty little trail that leads to a secondary peak with the same name, Monta Rosa.  Here we constructed a new footbridge over a small drainage so that hikers will not have to get their feet wet in crossing.  This was a perfect closing project for MTW 2012, as it is always satisfying to build a bridge in a few hours and then watch hikers walking over it and appreciating your handiwork.

Fred Tobbe, Ray Jackson, and Bruce Richards work on pinning the Monta Rosa bridge with  rocks

Doug McKenna and Aaron Horner deck the Monta Rosa bridge

Crew on the last day, on the Monta Rosa bridge!

This year's MTW set a new record for number of person-hours worked - at 636, at least 100 hours over any previous trails week.  We also had 39 great volunteers and a number of Forest Society and State Parks staff participate, many for several days.  Thank you to everyone who helped out during the week- we wholeheartedly appreciate it!  (And sorry about the heat!)