FALMOUTH, Maine — After hearing about a plan for harvesting trees at the Blackstrap Hill Community Forest and Woods Road Community Forest, the Falmouth Town Council recently decided that consultation from a forest ecologist is necessary before any decision can be made.
However, the council cannot deny harvesting in the forests, because the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife mandates harvesting every 10 years. The council discussed the issue at its Oct. 15 meeting.
The plan, as explained by town forester Paul Larrivee, would draw from the individual 2013 open space management plans for both properties. A selective cut in both properties would “take out less desirable trees and encourage new species to exist there,” Larrivee said.
The Woods Road plan would call for harvesting likely up to one-third of the trees in a 36-acre zone, to create an area where deer can find food. A 100-acre zone in the forest would be left alone, so the deer could have shelter.
“I just think that’s outrageous,” Anderson said with regard to the number of trees being harvested.
Larrivee said the harvest would be selective, “removing the worst first,” meaning trees in decline or decaying. He said the timber in this area is low quality and would be pulp material.
Larrivee said the harvesting would have to be done in the winter, otherwise the soil is too wet to work on.
He said the goal is to ensure diversity, so not just one particular kind of tree would be harvested.
The Blackstrap Road plan would call for harvesting to a lesser scale on three different lots in over 60 acres of the forest. The forest contains more than 200 acres. The goal of this harvesting effort is to remove lower-value, poor-quality trees overtopped by larger ones.
“We’re proposing an improvement harvest for forest management, and providing the opportunity for more growth,” Larrivee said.
The council asked that best efforts be made to have the consultation from the forest ecologist by the second council meeting in November.
In other business, the council unanimously passed an order for the town manager to apply for state financing assistance to upgrade approximately a quarter-mile of trail at the Woods Road Community Forest. This would come in the form of an $18,000 grant, with up to $3,000 to be matched by the town, and would help create a parking area and provide handicapped accessibility.
The council also voted 4-2 to create an ad-hoc Community Park Connector Committee to develop a plan for a trail connection between Community Park and the school’s campus. The committee will be up to nine members, with a council-appointed liaison, and will report back to the council by June 30, 2015. Councilors Charlie McBrady and Anderson dissented.