Mike Gagnon of UNH Extension’s forestry team joined PLC staff and 15 attendees on March 5th to tour the Tuthill Woodlands Preserve in New Boston. This property was harvested in 2017 by foresters from Meadowsend Timberlands as part of a carefully developed forest management plan. The unique topography, ecology, and history of the Tuthill Woodlands Preserve were factored into the forestry decisions with the goal of protecting soils, water, the wildlife who call Tuthill home, and improving the timber quality for the future.
Here’s (some) of what we learned on our walk in the woods:
W is for Wildlife
One of the first things we encountered was a large and scraggly white pine tree, dotted with woodpecker holes, visible rot and a large blue “W” emblazoned in spray paint. Wildlife will use nearly every part of a dead or dying tree in various stages of its decay – as shelter, a hiding place, and as a food source. Living trees with natural cavities can also be especially important habitat features in the landscape. Intentionally preserving trees like these ensures wildlife populations will not loose access to important habitat features during and post timber harvest.
Don’t Fight the Site
Forest management decisions have a lot to do with the type of growth you want to encourage and the resources available to do it – not entirely unlike pruning a fruit tree or flowering plant for health and productivity, you can encourage growth in a forest and improve its health and diversity with a careful cut. While certain timber crops are of premium value in a timber sale (like red oak and sugar maple), making decisions for that crop may not be the best choice for the soil and water resources on the property. Mike’s advice was to work with a consulting forester to understand the types of trees best suited for the topography, soil, and water resources available and make decisions armed with that information. Extension foresters are great first step in learning more about your woods and how to meet your stewardship goals for your land. You can connect with your UNH Extension County Forester here.
Sweetfern’s Superpower
When we arrived where the timber landing had been we saw the shrubby, desiccated remains of last year’s sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina) growth. Sweetfern (not technically a fern) grows well in disturbed soils, and Mike was happy to see that it had established at the site for a few reasons. The first being that its presence meant that invasive plants would have less opportunity to establish, and the second being sweetfern is a nitrogen fixing plant. Nitrogen fixing is a true superpower allowing specialized plants to capture nitrogen from the atmosphere (yes, THE AIR), where it is readily available but inaccessible in its atmospheric form. Through a chemical process involving symbiotic microbiota, the plant transforms it into molecular compounds that can then be used for nourishment. These compounds are deposited back into the soil, adding to available nutrients, and improving the soil over time.
Taking Care of Vernal Pools
Vernal pools are a seasonal wetland that appear in the spring and are an important and sensitive habitat. Many species of insects, reptiles and amphibians rely on their existence for food sources and mating grounds – like wood frogs, spotted salamanders, spring peepers, fairy shrimp, and ribbon snakes. The tricky part when it comes to timber harvests and vernal pools is that because of their ephemeral nature it may be difficult to know where they are located due to a lack of documentation. When this information is available, as it was at the Tuthill Woodlands Preserve, foresters can be sure to leave vernal pool sites largely undisturbed and protected by tree canopies, which shade the pools and prevent them from evaporating too quickly. Learn more about vernal pools and how to protect them here.
Black Birch: The NH Forest Product of the Future?
At the foundation site of the Gregg Homestead, where this property was farmed in the 18th and 19th century, Mike pointed out that many of the younger trees coming in were black birch trees. We learned that black birch is becoming more common in New Hampshire forests due to its ability to grow in variable canopy shade conditions from selective timber harvests. It has proven to be an up-and-coming forest product, with primary uses as quality veneer, furniture and cabinet wood, and pulp for paper.
Hemlock’s Value
At the point where the Tuthill Woodlands Preserve trail splits into a loop, we noticed a lot of white-tailed deer sign. Mike pointed out that this was unsurprising, as we were noticing more and more Eastern Hemlock as we moved further into the woods. This tree provides significant value to wildlife populations, with its dense canopy cover and year-round evergreen foliage providing shelter and a food source. Hemlock is an invaluable tree to the habitats of Tuthill and leaving an abundance of it was an important part of the forest management plan.
Unfortunately, hemlock is also under threat from the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an aphid-like insect with piercing mouthparts that feed upon hemlocks. Left un-identified or untreated, infested trees can die from the adelgid, although cold winter temperatures (-4⁰F and lower) can cause significant mortality in adelgid populations You can help keep our hemlocks safe by learning how to identify HWA and reporting it to NHBugs.org.
We hope to see you soon at a PLC outing!
Written by Jill Ketchen – PLC Development & Communications Coordinator
