We have been working with a northern Worcester County landowner to improve the health and quality of the timber on their property. This is a long-term focused practice known as “Timber Stand Improvement,” or TSI for short. Crop Tree Management techniques are being employed to select the best quality trees, and preferred species. In this case, the area was likely open abandoned agricultural land in the past, and had grown in with tightly packed, branchy white pine and spruce.
We are working on thinning out trees to open up the forest canopy. This will give the remaining trees more of the light, water, and nutrients which they need to grow. Creating a healthier, more resilient forest. We are also keeping some dead trees and girdling others (cutting entirely through the bark and cambium of a tree, cutting off the flow of nutrients, creating a standing dead tree), while the landowner is piling debris from the cut trees into brush piles. This all helps to create a diverse habitat beneficial for wildlife.
When the project began we met with the landowner and discussed their goals and vision for the property. Our forester, Tom Ashton, then created a plan to meet that vision. He has divided the area into 1-acre work units, and marked the trees slated for removal with paint. Our staff is currently working together with the landowner to remove these trees and acheive the owner's objectives.
The project began in 2022 and has been funded by cost-sharing programs designed to assist small landowners with these types of projects. Tom has been assisting the landowner with navigating the process of securing this cost-sharing, which is still available for other landowner's looking to take on projects like this. The end goal of this project is to create a healthy, diverse forest, with multiple age classes and sizes of trees that helps to promote biodiversity and meets the owner's goals for their forest. If you are thinking of a project like this , please get in touch.
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 One of our ongoing projects is constructing a new trail in northeast Massachusetts. As part of this trail we needed to construct a simple footbridge to cross a low point in the path that collects water in the spring.  The supports are pressure treated timber that should last quite a while. The two footers are set on top of crushed stone, to aid in draining water from around them. We were able to source the wood for the decking from a small, local sawmill. We chose white oak due to its water resistant properties.  You will often see simple planks, or other improvised items, used to cross small wet areas on trails like this. We wanted to something more permanent, something that showed this trail was cared for, and that invited users to continue exploring the trail. This bridge is near the beginning of the trail and we feel it helps do a nice job of getting users excited to continue walking the rest of it.  We finished off the bridge by adding stone transitions at the end. Instead of having an abrupt step up onto the surface of the footbridge we used stones to create a small gradual ramp up. We brought in stone dust and crushed rock to use as a base to set the larger stones in. We then used the abundant large stones already present on the property to create the transition. It was then just a matter of finding the right stones and fitting them together like a puzzle.
Get in touch if you would like assistance doing this type of work on your property. |
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