Brookfield Town Preserve Walk
The following is Frank Frazier’s write-up of the December 3, 2018 walk he and I (Bob Nielsen) took with Tim Nolin (NH Licensed Forester) and Karen Bordeau (Certified Wildlife Biologist with the NH Fish and Game Department).
Bob and I spent over three hours walking on the 250-acre Brookfield Town Preserve with Tim Nolin and Karen Bordeau.
We parked at the Kiosk on Lyford Road and walked to the Hackett cellar hole, the hayfield, the cemetery and then down Old Governor’s Road and off on a side road to the right and got within about 400 feet of the Cotton Valley Rail Trail, the twelve-mile improved trail along deserted railroad tracks between Wolfeboro and Sanbornville. We were about two-thirds of the way to Cotton Valley Road but the forest type down there does not change compared to what we had already seen, so Tim said there was nothing more of interest in that direction.
It was a very informative hike. We saw multiple sets of bobcat tracks, one set of coyote tracks, several sets of deer tracks, one set of turkey tracks, and when we were in the back of the property one set of moose tracks. It was either a very big moose or one that was running. Tim said it looked like a big one.
Tim’s goal is to have the first draft of his forest management plan submitted to Karen by the end of the week for her input on wildlife enhancement. He feels he is still on track to deliver the plan to us by the end of the year.
The good news, is that while there are multiple areas that have been heavily logged, there are also some very nice stands of mixed growth that will have value in the coming years.
Overall, they both felt that the property is generally in very good shape and were both impressed with the diversity of species and general health of the forest.
The plan will probably prioritize the area right around the Hackett cellar hole as our first target for doing some management. The Barberry and some other invasive species are the worst there but if we can get in next year and brush hog them, they are still controllable. As you turn left off Old Governor’s Road onto the road leading to the hayfield the cellar hole is on your right but on your left is a cleared area that used to be part of the bigger hayfield. That area is just getting covered with unwanted species and would be our best target to brush hog in 2019. We might see if we can ask Alan Frederickson (from Top of the Hill Farm) for help with that when he mows the hayfield. We will need to do hand work clearing around the cellar hole or else it will be engulfed in invasive species within a few years.
The plan will also point out several other areas where the young pine is coming back well (from a timber cut probably 20 years ago) but could use some selective harvesting to encourage long-term forest health. We have several nice stands of red oak and some other hardwoods that will also provide value down the road. The red oak and other hardwoods are basically very healthy and will not require a lot of intervention or management – just let them grow.
The beech trees – which are a native but can overtake a forest – are not bad in general but as we were out towards the rail trail Tim pointed out numerus beach that could be girdled to allow the more
valuable oaks to grow and prosper. He told us the correct, best-practice way to accomplish that. This will be another project at some point.
The map that Tim is preparing is one of the best I have seen of the property. It is going to clearly highlight the different stands of timber/forest type that we have on the property and will help us to prepare more detailed guides for the Kiosk so people can walk out and see different forest types on their walks. In fact, we may want to overlay our eventual trail map onto Tim’s map.
Bob and I now have at least two very good possible routes for a trail that lie fully within our property boundaries that would connect the rail trail to Old Governor’s Road. We will check them out either on snowshoes this winter or in early spring.
Tim also has looked at all the deeds and other documents and pointed out to us that several of the abutting properties to our property have rights of way along Old Governor’s Road.
He gave us a very good point of advice for our trail markings. He said to pick one color to denote the boundaries of the Preserve and to not use that color on any trail. This would be a good thing to do along, for example, the common property line that the Town Preserve shares with Alden Young, so that we respect the boundaries of property abutters. I suggest red for that color.