APB: Hike Leaders Wanted!!

Have you ever thought about leading a walk or hike on the property you monitor for the Forest Society?  Or another conservation property in your area?  This is a very important way that stewards and other volunteers can help advance the Forest Society's greater mission, as well as promote land and habitat conservation in the state and in your community.  As SPNHF land stewards, you all understand the value of conservation land in our state.  Provision of wildlife habitat, protection of water quality, improved air quality, recreational access, source of renewable energy and sustainable forest products, and the list goes on.  Unfortunately, however, not everyone understands these benefits.  One of the best ways to convince people that having conservation lands in their community is a good thing is to show them the direct benefit available to them in visiting and enjoying a local forest.  And many people really need a guide on that first visit to a property in order to take the "leap" and make a connection with a local piece of land.  You can help with this!  All of you are quite expert enough to lead a walk, and if you don't believe me (or want to feel a bit more confident), please consider coming to an upcoming workshop this June entitled "Field Trip 101: You Can Lead a Guided Hike!"

This workshop, sponsored by SPNHF and UNH Cooperative Extension, was first run last summer with a group of 25 participants.  We provide you with all the tips and tricks you'll ever need to plan, advertise, and implement an outstanding hike or nature walk in your own community.  In the 6 months following our last workshop, the participants led over 16 hikes involving more than 250 people from their local communities.  If they can do it, YOU can too!  And even better, we promise it's fun!  Please join us!

Field Trip 101: You Can Lead a Guided Hike
When:  Wednesday, June 20th, 9AM-2PM
Where:  SPNHF Conservation Center, Concord
How to Register:  email Tina Ripley at signup@forestsociety.org or register online HERE.

Apple Tree Pruning Workshop

Nigel Manly demonstrates a pruning cut at Welch Family Farm & Forest

Did you know that apples are not actually native to New England, or even the United States?  Aside from some varieties of crabappble, which are native to the U.S., the many varieties of "wild apple" that you can find growing in New Hampshire's woods are all trees or descendants of trees originally brought to North America by European settlers.  Often when you find apple trees in the woods in NH, there is an old cellar hole or other evidence of a long-abandoned homestead nearby.  Despite the fact that they are exotic, wild apple trees are an important year-round food source for many wildlife species including deer, bear, turkey, porcupine, moose, and a variety of rodents and birds.  It is for this reason that we advocate "releasing" and pruning wild apples where they exist on Forest Society properties, to improve their fruit production for wildlife.

Land Stewards Walter Weeks (Dickenson Forest) and Hiel Lindquist (Gap Mountain) try their hand at pruning a gnarly old apple tree

Nigel Manly, Director of the Forest Society's Rocks Estate in Bethlehem, NH, recently led a workshop for land stewards and other interested individuals on how to release and prune wild apple trees.  "Releasing" a wild apple simply means removing any competing vegetation or trees that have grown up around the tree and are shading it out.  The workshop was sponsored jointly by SPNHF and the Harris Center for Conservation Education (HCCE), and it included a field practice session at the Forest Society's Welch Family Farm and Forest in Hancock.  Nigel covered the basics of apple pruning with the group of about 30 participants, including essential tools, timing of pruning, making proper pruning cuts, reducing tree height, choosing what and how much to cut, liming and fertlizing, and reducing the spread of apple diseases like fire blight.  Six land stewards and three prospective land stewards attended the class, and I know many of them are excited to try out their newfound knowledge on the reservations they monitor for SPNHF.  In fact, two of them (Jason Morris and Scott Lavoice at Moose Mountains) have already begun... see their recent post about pruning some of the many old apples near the old Burrows Farm site HERE.  As everyone at the workshop learned on Saturday: Every apple tree is different, and there's not one "correct" way to tackle pruning one - pruning wild apples is more art than science!

SPNHF Creates Endangered Rabbit Habitat in Durham

Have you seen this bunny?  If so, you have seen a species listed as endangered by the State of New Hampshire.  This is a New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), a native rabbit that once ranged from southern New York to southern Maine.  It looks very similar to the Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), which was introduced to New England in the early 1900s, but is actually a distinct species that does not interbreed with Eastern cottontails.  The Eastern cottontails do, however, compete rather better for food and resources than the New England cottontails, and the latter has now been reduced to five small subpopulations in Maine, New Hamspshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Efforts to save the New England cottontail from extinction have involved creation of the early successional shrubland habitats that they require to thrive.  In the five core population areas, projects are underway to convert and maintain land in a suitable successional stage for the endangered bunnies.  The Forest Society has recently partnered with the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department (NHFG), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and others in the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership (GBRPP) to work on one such project on the Hills Reservation in Durham.  Six acres of low-quality forest was converted to open habitat that will hopefully grow into shrubland to support a sizeable New England cottontail population.  To help that process on its way, volunteers will help by planting bare-root native shrubs at the Hills Reservation and abutting Bunker Creek Tract (NHFG) this spring.  This is a great example of how forest management can be used to create specific wildlife habitat conditions.  Check out this great article at newenglandcottontail.org to learn more about the specifics of the Hills Forest/Bunker Creek Tract bunny project!

Forest on Hills Reservation - before clearing for cottontail habitat

Hills Reservation - post harvest.  The 6-acre wildlife cut will create  early successional habitat for endangered cottontails

If you are interested in helping with the native shrub planting at the Forest Society's Hills Forest on Saturday April 28th, contact Emma Carcagno at UNH Cooperative Extension at emma.carcagno@unh.edu or 862-2512.  The workday flyer is HERE.

A Winter Tour of the Morse Preserve with the Marvins!

Hikers climb Pine Mountain on the Forest Society's Morse Preserve (photo: S. Marvin)

Forty-two people gathered together on Saturday at the Mike Burke Parking Lot to hike Pine Mountain, more recently known as the Forest Society's Morse Preserve. The hike was planned to be a snow-shoe hike. The leaders, land stewards Ken and Suzanne Marvin, picked February this year thinking that there surely would be a thick cover of snow on the ground by then. The thin cover of snow, which had previously melted and then crusted over with ice, made wearing some type of crampon the best footwear.

The group, many previously strangers to each other, set out together for the 1.7 mile trek. Stopping often along the trail to talk about various animals, trees, insects and area history, Ken Marvin lead the group to the top where they got out their packed lunches and enjoyed the somewhat clouded view of the Belknap and Ossipee Ranges. The group ranged in age from 1 year to 80 years of age.

Hazy but still beautiful views from the top (photo: S. Marvin)

Following the hike, Suzanne said, "I was reminded again, New Hampshire is a great place to live or visit! People who don’t know each other, gather together in a group of all ages and hike a trail. Because of the generosity of people like Mary Jane Morse Greenwood, there are many trails in NH open to public hiking.  I wouldn't be surprised if some of the hikers from Saturday try that hike again in July to see if there are any blueberries on those bushes..."

A grey fox specimen (stuffed) placed by the Marvins to talk about wildlife habitat. (photo: S. Marvin)

Winter on Gap Mountain?

[Post by Gap Mountain Land Steward Hiel Lindquist]

The first day of winter on Gap Mountain was quite warm. Hard to believe we had over 4 feet of snow this season already as there is no snow left anywhere on the 22 day of December. It was almost tee shirt weather for the hike up the south trail. Nice veiws off the summit today and with the low clouds and falling temperatures, maybe there will be some snow in the near future?

 Until then, I want to wish everyone at the Forest Society and all the Land Stewards a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!!

There is not much left of the old ski tow building and equipment. Easily visable just off the south trail (look for a T on a pine tree near the first steep section) (Photo: H.Lindquist)

Mt. Monadnock in all its glory, from the middle summit of Gap Mountain (photo: H.  Lindquist)

Gap Mountain South Peak on the left and the twin white spires in Fitzwilliam village on the right (photo: H.Lindquist)

Looking southeast from Gap Mountain towards Pack Monadnock - North and South Peaks (photo: H.Lindquist)

Early Winter Ashuelot River Headwaters Hike

Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest (photo: S.Lichty)

Fourteen hikers made the trek up Silver Mountain on the Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest last weekend as part of a land steward-led hike co-sponsored by the Harris Center for Conservation Education and the Forest Society. Ben Haubrich (steward for High Five Reservation and Hedgehog Mountain Reservation, both in Deering) and Susan Lichty (steward for Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest in Lempster) worked together to plan and implement this early winter event. Many of the participants were Forest Society members, but not all of them had experienced this gem of a hike before, especially on such a clear and beautiful day. The bare summit of Silver Mountain offers stunning panoramic views from which hikers can easily discern iconic NH peaks like Mounts Monadnock, Sunapee, and Kearsarge. When the hike concluded last Saturday, most of the participants opted for an "extension" - which was a visit to the nearby Silver Mountain Winery that sells locally-produced hard ciders and fruit wines and offers tastings to the public. A nice way to warm up from the outdoor chill!

Hikers ready to get started (photo: S.Lichty)

Well-worn flag flies atop Silver Mountain (photo: S.Lichty)

View from Silver Mountain summit (photo: S.Lichty)

Heading up the trail (photo: S.Lichty)

Cabin at ARHF (photo: S.Lichty)

Little Harbor Loop Trail - A Collaborative Effort in Portsmouth

The Little Harbor Loop Trail, a new 1.5 mile walking loop in Portsmouth, NH, was constructed last weekend by local volunteers. This trail connects three parcels of land which are open to the public: the Forest Society’s Creek Farm Reservation, the state’s Wentworth-Coolidge Historic Site, and conservation land owned by the City of Portsmouth. More than 30 volunteers, including a scout troop, members of the Friends of Creek Farm and Portsmouth Conservation Commission, and several Forest Society land stewards gathered Saturday morning to clear the route and install guiding signage. It was a spirited workday, and a satisfying one as participants got to enjoy the results of their efforts immediately. Several walkers along Little Harbor Road also detoured to explore the new trail just as the work group was finishing up... ahead of the impending snow, luckily! The Little Harbor Loop trail is a terrific example of collaboration between individuals, governmental organizations and non-profits, and the new route through open forest and along scenic Sagamore Creek will be a wonderful addition to recreational opportunities already available for Portsmouth residents. A hiking map of the new trail is available on the Creek Farm page of the Forest Society's Online Guide to Our Lands.

Scouts taking a quick break

Part of the trail clearing crew last Saturday