Tucker Brook Town Forest
Map
Management Plan
2022 Timber Harvest Map
2022 Timber Harvest
The Town of Milford Tucker Brook Town Forest is composed of about 288 acres from the north side of Mason Road to the north side of Whitten Road. This harvest is on the section of the town forest located to the north of Tucker Brook and bordered by Whitten and Savage Roads. A Tucker Brook Town Forest Management Plan was prepared in 2008, recommending a harvest be done on this section of the town forest in 2018. The Milford Conservation Commission has discussed this proposed timber harvest during the last two years and met with a wildlife biologist and a certified Professional Forester to discuss impacts and outcomes to timbering this section of the forest.
Goals of Harvests:
- Wildlife – Create large openings to provide early successional habitat for many of the less common southern NH birds and animals, while maintaining a diversity of forest types.
- Forestry - Improve the long-term quality and productivity of the timber resource. Remove trees that are mature or because of defect will not grow into quality sawtimber. Create large openings that allow full sunlight to reach the ground which will stimulate rapid re-growth of trees from the germination of seeds and from hardwood sprouts.
- Recreation – Maintain and minimize damage to the existing trails. Create early successional habitat near the trails that will provide opportunities to view birds and other wildlife.
The result will be a more open forest which will naturally regenerate into seedlings and saplings providing habitat for many varied wildlife species, which can be viewed by hikers on the trails.
Harvesting is by the whole-tree method. A six-wheeled shear, aka feller buncher, with intermittent circular saw blade cuts and fells the trees and places them in bundles with the base of the stems evenly lined up, forming a hitch. The grapple skidder grabs the base of the bundles with a big clamp / grapple and drags them to the landing. A loader is used to sort the trees.
A slasher cuts out the sawlogs, pulp, and firewood. Unlike typical whole-tree harvesting, where the remainder of the trees (the ‘Slash’)are chipped and removed from the site, in this harvest that material will be brought back onto the forest floor. This slash will return nutrients to the soil, provide shelter for wildlife and protect regeneration of the forest.
This area provides important habitat for wildlife. The tracts contain woodlands, swamps, ponds, brook ecosystems and open fields. The variety of forest types and age classes provides a multitude of habitats and "edge", or interface, between two types of ecosystems. The following species are likely to frequent this property: white tailed deer, beaver, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, otter, weasel, mink, fisher cat, snowshoe rabbit, red fox, porcupine, red and gray squirrel, several species of local hawk, duck and other migratory water fowl, crow, king fisher, great blue heron, woodpecker and a variety of local songbirds.
The Tucker Brook Town Forest, with its close proximity to town and easy access, provides excellent opportunities to view wildlife and their habitats. Hiking trails could be cleared around the swamps and streams. They would cross beaver dams and wind along the streams where one would see an occasional small waterfall and stone work of an old mill. These trails can be accessed from Savage Road, Mason Road and via a spur through the Burns lot to Tucker Brook Road off Whitten Road. Furthermore, this lot provides excellent opportunities for viewing and studying wetland habitat.
Harvesting in areas immediately adjacent to the wetland should be modified to leave an adequate buffer to maintain the aesthetics and to minimize disturbance to the wetland habitat. Prescribed harvesting will improve the habitat for wildlife by removing less valuable species and favoring red oak that provide acorns, den and nesting trees and deer wintering areas (deer yards). Areas that are opened as a result of the cutting will increase available browse for spring and summer feeding requirements and will help establish red oak regeneration. Proper harvesting will increase available browse for food requirements. Shelter, cover and nesting sites will also be more abundant following recommended harvests.