VAST Trail

Stand #1

E 138500mN 205500m

E 139000mN 205500m

E 139000mN 206000m

©

USE VALUE PROGRAM PROPERTY OF CHARLES & HELEN TAYLOR

WATERBURY, VTSPAN-696-221-11815

PARCEL ID # 10-072.000ORTHOPHOTO BASE SHEET 485204 & 485206 / 2018

DRAWN BY: D.A. SWEET - NOVEMBER 2019M I D D L E S E XM I D D L E S E X

W A T E R B U R YW A T E R B U R Y

Ring Rd

Zdon

Rd

Midd

lesex

Notc

h Rd

Bear Creek Ln

Shaw Hill Rd

417 0 417 834 1,251208.5 Feet

100 0 100 200 30050 MetersSCALE

1:5,0001 inch = 416.67 feet1 centimeter = 50 meters

Hunger Mountain Forestry, Inc., PO Box 250, Waterbury, VT 05676 P/F - (802) 244-7344 E - Dan@HungerMountainForestry.com / Forestry, Wildlife & GIS Services

THIS IS NOTA SURVEY

M I D D L E S E XM I D D L E S E X

W A T E R B U R YW A T E R B U R Y

REVISIONS:FEBRUARY 2003 ORIGINAL MAPOCTOBER 2012 FOR MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE

ACREAGE ADJUSTMENT CHART1 Town Listed Acres 27.002 Acres to Be Excluded 2.003 Acres to be Entered 25.004 Acres to be Entered from Map 25.005 Factor To Prorate Acreage 1.0000

Enrolled Acres - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 25.00Excluded Acres - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.00Total Grand List - - - - - - - - - - - - 27.00

Stand Type Acres#1 NORTHERN HARDWOOD 25.00

25.0025.0TOTAL ACRES TO BE ENROLLED

STAND SUMMARY TABLE

TOTAL PRODUCTIVE FOREST

LegendProperty BoundaryUVA Program ExclusionWoods Roads and TrailsRoadsStreamTown Line

FOREST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN

FOR

LANDS OWNED BY

CHARLES & HELEN TAYLOR WATERBURY

WASHINGTON COUNTY,

VERMONT

PARCEL ID. NO. 10-072.000

SPAN 696-221-11815

27 ACRES

2013 Update

Hunger Mountain Forestry, Inc

P.O. Box 250 • Waterbury, VT 05676 • Phone/Fax ~ (802) 244 -7344

2

2013 Update

UPDATED PLAN PREPARED BY:__________________________________________________________________

BRIAN T. SWEET, FORESTER DATE

ACCEPTED BY:_________________________________________________________________________________

CHARLES TAYLOR, OWNER DATE

ACCEPTED BY:_________________________________________________________________________________

HELEN TAYLOR, OWNER DATE

APPROVED BY:_________________________________________________________________________________

RUSSELL BARRETT, COUNTY FORESTER DATE

3

INTRODUCTION

The forest resources addressed in this report are owned by Charles and Helen Taylor Waterbury

Center, VT. With an address of 819 Maple Street, Waterbury Center, VT 05677.

The 27 acre ownership was purchased as a wood lot and potential camp lot, primarily to furnish

domestic firewood and to provide recreational opportunities. The parcel is all woodland with a 2.0

acres exclusion.

The objective of this inventory and management plan is to update a previously prepared

management plan done for the Use Value Appraisal program and to review the management

practices completed under the previous plan.

The purpose of this management plan is to prescribe silvicultural treatments for the forested land

that will result in maximizing the long term productivity for the forest land and set management

objectives including consideration for the wildlife, soil and water, and visual resources.

DESCRIPTION

Location: The property is located in the easterly side of the Town of Waterbury adjacent to the

Town Line between Waterbury and Middlesex. This area is referred to locally as the Ring Place

and is on the Worcester Mountain Range northerly of Chase Mountain in the Town of Middlesex.

The property is located in the Northern Green Mountain Biophysical Region.

Topography and Elevations: The terrain on the property is generally moderately to steeply sloping

land with a generally west and northwest aspect. Terrain adjacent to streams and in the southeast

corner of the property tends to be the steepest.

Elevations range from a low of 1580 feet above Mean Sea Level [MSL] along the westerly property

boundary where the primary brook exits the property to a high of 2000 feet above MSL in the

southeasterly corner of the property.

Access: Access is gained to the property over Town Highway #29 [Ring Road] which is a Class IV

road from its intersection with Town Highway #6 [Kneeland Flats road]. From the end of TH #29,

the property is reached by a private road network developed by this and other adjacent landowners

in the area. [See USGS Map and Use Value Map]

Existing Developments and Public Utilities: There are no utilities such as power lines on or near the

property. The only development on the property is the road which provides access from TH #29

and which also provides access to camps on the adjoining properties.

Visual Resources: The property is only somewhat visible from the heavily developed Shaw

Mansion and Kneeland Flats area. However it does contribute to the unbroken forested backdrop of

this area of the town.

All planned management activities including temporary road construction and harvesting activities

will be designed and carried out in a manner that seeks to maintain, improve and enhance the

aesthetic qualities of the visual resource on the parcel.

5

Wildlife - The wildlife resource

descriptions are based on general

observations in the field but are not the

result of a specific or structured wildlife

inventory. General observations include

evidence of white-tailed deer based on

browsing of woody vegetation and the

indications associated with song and

game birds such as direct sightings,

obvious feed area use and audible

recognition of bird songs and calls.

White-tailed deer populations in this

area are evident, habitat suitability

indicates that adequate summer range

areas exist within and adjacent to the

subject property. There are no mapped

deer yards within the Taylor ownership.

A 308 acre mapped deer wintering area

is situated to the west of the Perry Hill

road approximately one mile to the west

of the Taylor property. (See Figure 1)

Scattered evidence of moose and bear

utilizing the area for feeding was

observed during the inventory process.

Small game such as ruffed grouse and

varying hare, common songbirds

and other non-game species are well represented within the ownership and will be considered in all

management activities.

The management prescriptions contained in this report have been coordinated and modified in

accordance with the “MODEL HABITAT MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES for DEER,

BEAR, HARE, GROUSE, TURKEY, WOODCOCK AND NON-GAME WILDLIFE”,

published by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Agency of Environmental Conservation,

February 1986. In addition, some prescriptions have been coordinated with the “MANAGEMENT

GUIDE FOR DEER WINTERING AREAS IN VERMONT”, published by the Vermont

Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Forests, Parks and Recreation in September 1990.

Water Resources: The headwaters of the primary stream known as Ring Brook is located on this

parcel. The stream network and tributaries flowing into it to the west form one of the many streams

of the headwaters group of Thatcher Brook that flows into the Winooski River in Waterbury

Village.

Other water resources on the parcel consist of areas of impounded water and small seeps scattered

throughout the ownership.

Adherence to the designs and criteria contained in the guides for "Acceptable Management

Practices for Maintaining Water Quality on Logging Jobs in Vermont" will be required on any

harvesting operation on the property.

Tha tc her Brook

GRAVES BROOK

WATER URY

MIDDLESEX

308

Rip

ley

Rd

Sha

w M

ansi

on R

d

Perry H

ill Rd

Ring Rd

Kneeland Flats

Valle

y V

iew

Rd

Loomis Hill Rd

Daniels F

arm R

d

Mid

dle

sex N

otc

h R

d

South

Bear S

wam

p R

d

Henry Hough Rd

Bal

sam

Ln

Mansio

n H

ollo

w R

d

Loomis Highlands

Shaw Hill Rd

Grove Ln

Mille

r Ln

Kneela

nd H

ill

Upla

nd

Mo

win

g R

d

Georges W

y

Marshall Ln

Thurston Ln

Spruce G

rove

Rin

g R

d

Taylor

Property

N

N

Deer

Wintering

Figure 1: Taylor Property showing proximity to

significant wildlife and water resources

6

Soils: The soil resources descriptions, symbols, names, and site classes were obtained from the

United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Soil Survey of Washington

County, Vermont.

The soil associations found on the ownership are commonly gently sloping to steep, somewhat

excessively drained to moderately well drained, shallow to deep, moderately coarse textured to fine

textures soils that formed in glacial till on hilly uplands.

The soils mapped on the property are listed in the following table with the soil symbol shown first

followed by the soil name.

Soil Symbol Soil Name Slope Classes Range in %

16D Dixfield Fine Sandy Loam, Very Stony A 0% to 3%

72D Elliotsville-Monson-Abram complex B 3% to 8%

C 8% to 15%

D 15% to 25%

E 25% to 35%

F 35% plus

Land Use Past and Present: This property was previously owned by Ancel Moulton, successor in

title to property owned by one F. Lee Minnott. The parcel served as a farm wood lot and provided

domestic firewood, building construction materials and summer pasturage for livestock. This use of

the property extended from the mid 1800’s to the mid 1900’s and was characterized by a keen

sense of land ethics common to subsistence farming in the region. In the early 1960’s heavy

harvesting of sawtimber quality trees took place, resulting in the present forest stand conditions.

Over the last 10 to 15 years efforts to improve forest stand conditions have begun to result in some

improvement in stocking and quality conditions. The property will continue to serve as a source of

domestic firewood and will yield small quantities of high value sawlogs in the future.

Boundary lines and Corners: The boundary lines of the ownership identifiable, however it is

recommended that all boundary lines be painted for future ease of identification and to prevent

innocent trespass by adjacent landowners.

Invasive Plants : There is no evidence of any invasive plan species on the property at this time.

Recreation Activities: The local connector route of the Middlesex and Waterbury VAST trail system cuts

across the southeast ¼ of the property. The trail appears to be well maintained with drainage structures

moving water off the trai`l in frequent locations

7

Resource Management Data Gathering Procedure

The descriptions of forest overstory and understory vegetative conditions are based on data collected using a

systematic Variable Plot Cruise [Bitterlich Method] with a 10 factor prism to sample overstory vegetation

and general point observations to sample understory vegetation. All measurable data was entered on field

data collection forms for SILVAH a computer program for analyzing and prescribing silvicultural treatments

for hardwood stands in the Allegheny Plateau in northeastern Pennsylvania. The inventory program has been

adapted to reflect conditions found in Vermont and the Northern Hardwood [beech, birch, maple] forest

type.

A total of 10, 10 factor sample plots were taken on this parcel, yielding a sample intensity of 1 plot per 2.5

forested acres. This sample intensity is sufficient for planning and stand prescription purposes but is not

sufficient for forest product sale purposes.

The resource descriptions resulting from the analysis of the field data are intended to give the

owner/manager a clear picture of the existing conditions and sufficient information to make a conclusive

judgment regarding the best treatment to meet long term objectives of the individual stand areas and

consequently the entire resource under management.

Definitions of Terms

The following definitions are of commonly used terms in describing forest stands and prescribing

silvicultural treatments for the stands. This glossary is included at this point in the report for easy reference

by the reader.

Basal Area [BA] - is used to express the density of growing stock and is defined as sum of all basal areas

for the trees over 4” in diameter on one acre. It is expressed in units of ft2/acre.

Acceptable Growing Stock [AGS] – are those commercial species trees that are well formed and will

produce high quality sawlogs now or in the future.

Unacceptable Growing Stock [UGS] - trees that are undesirable species or have conditions that will not

produce a high quality sawlog product now or in the future.

Diameter Breast High [DBH] - is the point 4 1/2 feet above the ground at which diameter and growth

measurements are made on standing trees.

Stand - an area of relatively homogeneous tree cover similar in age and species composition that can be

managed as a separate entity from the surrounding areas.

Matrix - is the entire combination of all the separate vegetative and soil communities that comprise the

homogeneous stand area.

Inclusion - a relatively small area, which may differ in some way from the primary stand matrix. A small

1/4 acre area of red spruce in a sugar maple stand would be an inclusion.

Site Index [SI] - a designation used to express the productivity potential of a particular location or site based

on the height of the dominant stand at an arbitrarily chosen age. For example, if the average height of a

fully stocked stand at age 50 years is 75 feet, the site index is 75 feet.

8

Even-Aged Management – Even-aged stands are stands in which all trees are of the same age plus or minus

10 years. Even-aged stands are commonly managed using a 2-cut shelterwood system. Shelterwood cuts can

be modified to retain a continual cover for aesthetic purposes and involve an initial cut to obtain

regeneration by removing approximately ½ the total stems in the stand. The final cut or removal cut is

conducted to release the established regeneration. The removal cut can be delayed until the established

regeneration is pole sized, 6 inch dbh +. 2-storied stands are the result of a successful 1st cut of a 2-cut

shelterwood. Even-aged stand stocking levels are expressed as “A”, “B” or “C” level stocking.

"A" Level Stocking - stands at "A" Level stocking are fully stocked even aged stands

"B" Level Stocking - stands at "B" Level stocking have the minimum level or density of stocking to fully

occupy the site and are even aged.

"C" Level Stocking – even aged stands at "C" level stocking are expected to achieve "B" level within 10

years if allowed to grow undisturbed.

Uneven-Aged Management: Uneven-aged stands are those which are characterized by three or more

distinct age classes and which have a wide distribution of size classes of trees present. Uneven-aged stands

of northern hardwoods, hemlock or mixed type are managed by controlling and manipulating the diameter

distribution of trees within the stand. (See appendix for a discussion of q-factor and its application for

controlling diameter distribution in the management of uneven-aged stands) Management is commonly

carried out by applying the single tree selection or small group selection method of removal. The

minimum acceptable stocking of stands after cutting is 60 ft2/acre.

Vegetation Size Classes - SEEDLINGS: 2 feet to 5 feet+ in height and less than l inch in diameter.

SAPLING: 2 inches to 4 inches DBH.

POLES: 6 inches to 10 inches DBH.

SAWTIMBER: 10 inches + for softwood and 12 inches + for hardwood.

Deer Winter Range – also know as "Yards" are areas of suitable forest type that provide cover, food, and

concealment during severe climactic conditions such as heavy snows in mid-winter. Mature softwood timber

types with abundant understory regeneration are considered to provide the best winter range area.

Deer Summer Range - are those areas which provide a high degree of diversity with grassy openings and

meadows, regenerating hardwoods and softwood forest types as well as a mixture of immature sapling and

pole size stands interspersed with mature timber type areas.

Mast - divided into hard and soft mast, they are the whole family of nut and fruit bearing shrubs and trees,

which produce nuts and fruits palatable to various wildlife species.

Soft Mast - species that produce soft fruits or berries such as pin cherries, blueberries, raspberries,

etc. These species generally produce fruits in mid to late summer.

Hard Mast - species that produce hard fruits or nuts and include beech, oak, butternut and related

species. This group tends to produce fruit in late summer and fall.

Q-Factor – refers to the average quotient or ratio between the numbers of trees in successively smaller

diameter classes. (See addendum for a description of Q-Factor and managing northern hardwoods by

implementation of a flexible Q.) Q-Factor is used to assist the land manager in the management of forest

stands under uneven-aged or all aged management systems.

9

Management Objectives

The objective of the Forest Management program is to provide a sustained yield of high quality

forest products consistent with the soil and other resource values and to maximize the productivity

of commercial forestland through the application of responsible silvicultural management practices.

Individual stand prescriptions have been carefully considered and will be periodically reviewed as

new information becomes available. All prescriptions are based on the concept of identification of

the featured stand with all prescribed treatments designed to bring the stand and individual trees to

the earliest maturity within site constraints. Proposed treatments will encourage the development

of young tree stands that maximize the productivity and potential of the existing site.

The dominant silvicultural system to be applied will be uneven-aged management of all forest types

with emphasis on the single tree selection method of removal. The desired management results are

high quality sawlogs, with pulpwood removed in early thinning operations or as an adjunct to the

production of high quality sawlogs to improve stand quality. The management objective for these

stands is to strive for a Q-Factor of 1.5 and a diameter objective of 18 inches. Reentry or the

cutting cycle will be 15 to 20 years.

10

Management Constraints

Management constraints are prohibited or controlled activities that are designed to protect the

resource and to avoid the commitment of irretrievable or irreversible actions.

The Management Constraints for this ownership are:

1. Protect all stream courses from sedimentation and completely restore and revegetate all woods

roads after use. Conduct all harvesting in accordance with the Acceptable Management Practices

for Maintaining Water Quality on Logging Jobs in Vermont [AMPs].

2. Lop all slash resulting from harvesting to lay less than 4 feet from the ground.

3. Modify Harvesting in areas adjacent to home sites, open land and high visibility areas to protect

and enhance the visual resource.

4. Conduct thinning in immature stands during non-growth periods whenever possible. [July

through March]

5. Utilize existing road locations when feasible and improve through use with full restoration after

use according to AMPs.

6. Conduct operations in wet areas and areas of shallow soils in winter during frozen ground

conditions in order to mitigate impacts from equipment on sensitive sites.

7. Protect all stonewalls and other historical features from damage or alteration.

11

Forest Stand Descriptions and Prescribed Treatments

For the purpose of description and management the ownership has been separated into specific

stand areas. For information regarding the location of the specific stand area and their relation to

existing facilities such as access or developed sites, refer to the Current Use Program Map in the

back of this report. [See Use Value Map.]

Work prescribed for each of the stands on the property assumes there will be no devastating

climatic occurrences. In the event of damaging climatic events such as ice storms, wind storms or

insect and disease outbreaks which threaten the condition or health of the forest resource it is

assumed that salvage operations should be undertaken without regard to previous scheduled

treatments.

12

STAND DESCRIPTIONS AND PRESCRIPTIONS

Stand #1: The entire parcel is being treated as one stand.

Stand #1 is 25 acres of northern hardwood small and medium sized sawtimber. The overall quality

of the stand is high and appears to be relatively disease free at this time. Soils are moderately well

drained and access is over a woods road which provides access to other adjacent properties.

The current stand structure and condition is based on 10 field data plots taken in November 2012.

Species composition of the stand is 66% sugar maple, 23% beech, and 7% yellow birch and 3%

White ash. Scattered paper birch and striped maple were observed in the Seen Area Plot.

The stream that runs generally along the southerly boundary of the stand will need to be considered

in any significant treatment of the area.

The current stand structure is as follows:

Total Basal Area (BA) - - - - - - - - - - - 95ft2/acre

Acceptable Growing Stock (AGS) - - - - 68 ft2/acre

AGS BA Breakdown:

Saplings (2”-4”) - - - - - - - - - - 0 ft2/acre

Poles (6”-10”) - - - - - - - - - - - 31 ft2/acre

Small Sawtimber (12”-16”) - - 29 ft2/acre

Medium Sawtimber (18” to 24”) 8 ft2/acre

Unacceptable Growing Stock (UGS) - - - 27 ft2/acre

Mean Stand Diameter (MSD) - - - - - - - - 11.3 inches

Quadratic Mean Stand Diameter (QMSD) -- 9.3 inches

Estimated average age is 90 years

Age structure is uneven aged

Trees per acre--- 201 total; 151 AGS

Q-Factor is 1.7

Site Index for northern hardwood is 60 (Site Class I)

The objective for this stand should be to manage for high quality hardwood sawtimber under an

uneven-aged management system. Use a Q-factor objective of 1.5 and a maximum diameter

objective of 16 - 18 inches.

Prescription: Continue to improve the overall quality of the stand by removing UGS hardwoods for

domestic firewood use. Retain the better formed AGS trees as the featured stand to be managed.

Reexamine in 2013.

USE VALUE APPRAISAL MANAGEMENT PLAN SUMMARY

STAND YEAR SUMMARY OF PLANNED ACTIVITY

#1 2023 Removing UGS trees for domestic firewood. Reexamine

13

UNEVEN-AGED MANAGEMENT

OF

NORTHERN HARDWOODS IN THE NORTHEAST

In the application of uneven-aged management of the northern hardwood timber type, due

consideration must be given to residual stocking, maximum tree size, regeneration, and diameter

distribution all of which comprise stand structure.

It is known that growth of northern hardwood stands is essentially the same for a wide range of

stocking. Growth peaks at 60 to 100 sq. ft. of basal area per acre. To concentrate growth on as few

trees as possible without quality loss, a residual stocking of 70 ft2/acre of trees 5 inches and over is

recommended.

Maximum tree size is the tree diameter considered mature by the forester. Often referred to as the

diameter objective, maximum tree size can vary from 14 to 26 inches DBH, depending on site and

the landowner’s objective. As financial maturity is at l8 to 22 inches, the diameter objective is

usually set close to these diameters, or about 20 inches DBH.

Regeneration under uneven-aged management is obtained by two cutting methods -- single tree

selection and group selection. Single tree selection favors intolerant species such as beech and

sugar maple. Large group selections of 2 acres or less favor the establishment of intermediate and

intolerant species such as yellow birch and white ash. Small group selection [the removal of 2 or 3

trees in a group] is usually employed to release advanced growth of desirable understory trees.

The establishment of an appropriate diameter distribution or structure goal for a stand is the most

critical step in implementing uneven-aged management. These guidelines simplify the process,

making uneven-aged management relatively simple to apply. The approach calls for employment of

a flexible Q. The stand structure goal does not remain fixed throughout the stand development

period or rotation, but management is directed toward increasing the proportion of sawtimber by

progressively reducing the Q value.

Q value refers to the average quotient or ratio between numbers of trees in successively smaller

diameter classes. Stand Q values range from 1.3 to 2.0. Second growth stands with a large number

of small diameter trees have a Q value of 1.6 to 2.0. Mature stands with a high proportion of

sawtimber trees have a low Q value, of 1.3 to 1.4. As northern hardwood stands develop naturally,

changes in stand structure vary from a high Q value initially to a lower Q value as they approach

maturity. The best sites approach a lower Q value than medium or poor sites.

In order to establish a stand structure goal for an existing stand, it is necessary to determine its

present structure or the Q value that best describes the stand. A "Rule of Thumb" has been

developed that is sufficiently accurate for making this determination. As an example, a stand with

50% poles and 50% sawtimber has a Q value of about 1.6; therefore the appropriate stand structure

goal or selected Q for this stand would be 1.6 or 1.5. If markets are not available for small trees,

rather than consider TSI, which is an out-of-pocket expense, the best choice is to select a higher Q

value to concentrate harvest cuts in sawtimber and to carry a higher inventory of poles.

14

TABLE 1: Residual stand structure designed for 70 ft2 of residual basal area per acre, up through the

20-inch class.

DBH : Q=1.3 : Q=1.4 : Q=1.5 : Q=1.6: Q=1.7: Q=1.8 : Q=1.9: Q=2.0

Class : BA : BA : BA : BA : BA : BA : BA : BA

[Inches] : : : : : : : :

: : : : : : : :

6 TO 10 : 21 : 25 : 30 : 34 : 38 : 41 : 44 : 47

: : : : : : : :

12 TO 14 : 20 : 20 : 20 : 19 : 18 : 17 : 16 : 15

: : : : : : : :

16 + : 29 : 25 : 20 : 17 : 14 : 12 : 10 : 8

: : : : : : : :

TOTAL : 70 : 70 : 70 : 70 : 70 : 70 : 70 : 70

TABLE 2: “Rule of Thumb” - To identify existing stand structure or Q value, determine the

percentage of poles and sawtimber and pick the Q value that most closely approximates the stand.

Poles : Sawtimber : Estimated

6” to 10” : 12” + : Q Value

: :

30% : 70% : 1.3

: :

35% : 65% : 1.4

: :

40% : 60% : 1.5

: :

50% : 50% : 1.6

: :

55% : 45% : 1.7

: :

60% : 40% : 1.8

: :

63% : 37% : 1.9

: :

65% : 35% : 2.0