A University of New Hampshire wildlife habitat class visited Branch Hill Tree Farm with their professor, UNH Cooperative Extension’s wildlife specialist Matt Tarr, and with consulting forester Charlie Moreno and Extension Forester Karen Bennett. The students saw an active logging job and learned how wildlife habitat is part of a landowner’s management objectives and can be incorporated with forest regeneration and improvement.
This article originally ran in the Baysider.
MILTON — A unique outdoor workshop is planned for Friday morning, Nov. 4, where three forms of logging will be demonstrated on a sustainably managed forest. The workshop is free and open to the public and will be held at the Branch River Woodlands in Milton from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. It is co-sponsored by Moose Mountain Regional Greenways (MMRG) and Branch Hill Farm/the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust (BHF/CSFCT).
Woodlot owners, students, conservationists and anyone interested in understanding the timber harvest practices they observe in local forests, or in seeing new possibilities for forest improvement, are invited to watch both high-tech and ‘micro’ equipment in action.
Consulting forester Charlie Moreno will discuss the various timber harvest systems and the associated forestry, with on-site demonstrations by Brent Day of Wm. Day and Sons, Inc., showcasing in-progress cut-to-length and biomass harvest operations, and Larry Hersom of Hersom Logging, showing conventional logging and micro-harvesting techniques.
“What are the differences between the three modes of timber harvesting? What equipment is used? Are there advantages and disadvantages? For what situations are each type of logging best suited? What forest products are produced? Is forest improvement possible?”
Moreno will answer these questions and more, as attendees watch the crews at work.
The outing will encompass about 2.5 miles of walking on trails and forest roads. For more directions and to pre-register, please call MMRG’s Education Coordinator Kari Lygren at 978-7125 or e-mail info@mmrg.info.
MMRG, a non-profit land trust, works to conserve and connect important water resources, farm and forest lands, wildlife habitats and recreational land in Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Wakefield and Wolfeboro. Throughout the year, MMRG offers many educational opportunities to inform all ages about the benefits of our region’s natural resources. For more information about MMRG, visit www.mmrg.info. Branch Hill Farm/the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust works to protect open space and working forests and to educate the public about sound forestry, conservation and agricultural practices, see www.branchillfarm.org.
Co-sponsored by Branch Hill Farm/Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust (Full details here)
Forester Charlie Moreno will discuss three different modes of timber harvest:
To register, email info@mmrg.info or call Kari Lygren at 603-978-7125.
Demonstrations of conventional logging and ‘micro’ harvesting techniques by Larry Hersom of Hersom Logging and of cut-to-length and biomass harvest operations by Brent Day of Wm. Day & Sons, Inc.
About 2-1/2 miles of walking on trails and forest roads.
Forestry workshop photos by Kate Wilcox.
Photos and video by David O’Connor
Despite threat of thunderstorms, nearly 500 children and adults came out to explore, learn and play at the recent Woods, Water & Wildlife Festival in Milton Mills. Presented by Moose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG) and Branch Hill Farm (BHF), this annual festival provides a day of fun outdoors for families, a crucial step in cultivating a new generation who will appreciate and strive to conserve our region’s natural resources.
Mary Current and her 7-year-old grandson Hugo spent the day making the most out of all the festival had to offer. With the help of a friendly NH Fish & Game volunteer, Hugo learned to bait a hook and cast his worm into the BHF pond; topping off that educational experience was the fish he caught after several minutes of focused attention on his line. Added Mary, “Hugo also really enjoyed Kari Lygren’s walk in the woods; she was wonderful with him and the other kids, teaching them about the forest plants and animals.”
Mary reported that the fun didn’t stop at the end of the festival. Once home, she helped Hugo fill out a questionnaire about insect sightings and put tattoos on his arm from the ‘Conservation Quest’ stickers. She summarized the day, “Everything was beautifully done. The volunteers are fantastic; they were really nice and did a great job. It’s just a terrific event!”
MMRG Founding member Cynthia Wyatt was no less enthusiastic. For the first time in the WWW Festival’s 14-year history, she was able enjoy the festival activities accompanied by her own little one. “It was a dream come true!” said Cynthia. “My grandson Finn, who is 2-1/2, loved it. He ran to see the draft horses (part of a low impact logging demonstration ) as soon as he spotted them and has been talking about the two horses ‘Mouse’ and ‘Charlie’ ever since.”
Finn and Cynthia also took the hayride to the Salmon Falls River where Matt Larkin of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – NH helped kids catch grasshoppers with a butterfly net. When the kids threw the insects into the water, the river seemed to boil as fish jumped to get the food, to Finn’s delight. The ‘Nature’s Playground’ activities of treehouse and stepping stumps were a big hit with Finn as well.
In addition to be MMRG’s biggest annual outreach event, the WWW Festival is also a major fundraiser, with proceeds supporting MMRG’s land conservation and outreach missions. MMRG is grateful to its festival underwriters, the Siemon Company and BHF/Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust and to its major festival sponsors: Bruce and Jennifer Rich, Carl and Beth Siemon, Charlie Moreno Consulting Forester, the Gene Hays Family, Hank and Junko Siemon, and S&S Plumbing and Heating. Additional thanks to Beverly Siemon, Devonshire Realty, D.F. Richard Energy, Dottie Bean, EOS Research, Frank Massin Agency, Gene Hays, Great East Lake Improvement Association, MapleStone Farm, Milton Veterinary Clinic, Liberty Mutual, Mi-Te-Jo Campground, Moose Mountain Recreation, New England Furniture, Norman Vetter Foundations, Poor People’s Pub, Profile Bank, Proulx Oil & Propane, Security 7 Networks, and Wentworth Hunt.
Moose Mountains Regional Greenway is a non-profit land trust serving Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Wakefield, and Wolfeboro (see www.mmrg.info). Branch Hill Farm/Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust is a private operating foundation (see www.branchhillfarm.org).
Moose Mountains Regional Greenways
Box 191, Union, NH 03887
(603)-817-8260
info@mmrg.info
CONTACT: Virginia C. Long,
Email: virginia.mmrg@gmail.com
Phone: w: (603) 473-2020; h: (603)-652-9559
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 26, 2016
Below photos by Kate Wilcox
Low impact logging team of draft horses
Squam lakes presenter with great horned owl
Natures playground stump hopping child with parent
Feeding barnyard animals
Moose Mountains Regional Greenways’ 14th annual Woods, Water & Wildlife Festival will take place on Saturday, August 13 from 10 am to 3 pm at Branch Hill Farm, 307 Applebee Road in Milton Mills, NH. This day-long celebration of the great outdoors is an opportunity for families to have fun and experience the delights of the natural world together. It’s also essential in helping MMRG achieve one of its underlying missions: conservation education for both kids and adults. Helping people understand and appreciate the natural world are fundamental steps in building a desire to preserve it.
For kids, the emphasis is on having fun and exploring the outdoors. Kids are fascinated by animals, and they get plenty of opportunities to get up close and personal with a variety of living creatures at the Festival. They can peer through a Discovery Scope at the tiny things that inhabit pond water, feed and pet Ruth Scruton’s barnyard animals, or learn about the rescued wildlife displayed at the Squam Lakes Wildlife Workshop. There are fish to be caught in the farm pond, pelts to touch in the Mountain Man’s Hut, and a tunnel that gives kids a worm’s view of life in the soil. Other events feature bees, goats, draft horses and chickens for kids and adults to observe and learn about.
Some festival events and activities challenge kids’ observation skills, problem-solving abilities, and coordination. Even so, Nature’s Playground and the Amazing Corn Maze are so much fun that your kids may not want to leave! For puzzle lovers, the Kids Discover the Forests activity and the MMRG Conservation Quest provide a different type of adventure. How about learning to find geo caches with your GPS, or becoming a Watershed Warrior?
The Festival takes place rain or shine. No pets please. Rest rooms and most events are wheelchair accessible. The cost is $5/person or $10/family and free to ages 12 and under and to MMRG members; all events are included in the admission price. For more information, visit www.mmrg.info/festival.
Festival proceeds and business sponsorships support MMRG’s land conservation and educational outreach mission. MMRG is grateful to its festival underwriters, the Siemon Company and Branch Hill Farm/Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust, which is also the co-presenter. MMRG would like to thank the following major sponsors: Bruce and Jennifer Rich, Carl and Beth Siemon, Charlie Moreno Consulting Forester, the Gene Hays Family, and S&S Plumbing and Heating. Thanks are also due to many more business, organizational, and individual sponsors and supporters and to the dedicated volunteers who have already signed up to help out. More volunteers are needed; please call Kari Lygren at 603-978-7125. A few business sponsorships of festival events are still available; please contact Virginia Long at virginia.mmrg@gmail.com.
Moose Mountains Regional Greenway is a non-profit land trust serving Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Wakefield, and Wolfeboro (see www.mmrg.info). Branch Hill Farm/Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust is a private operating foundation (see www.branchhillfarm.org).
Squam Lakes Science Center always brings rescued wild animals that fascinate the audience. Photo by David O’Connor.
Ruth Scruton’s petting zoo is a favorite of kids every year. Photo by David O’Connor.
Kids use nets to search for creatures that inhabit the river during a hayride stop. Photo by Kate Wilcox
Moose Mountains Regional Greenways
Box 191, Union, NH 03887
(603)-817-8260
info@mmrg.info
CONTACT: Virginia C. Long,
Email: virginia.mmrg@gmail.com
Phone: w: (603) 473-2020; h: (603)-652-9559
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 26, 2016
Here are some great pictures taken by NH Audubon photographer Jack Dorsey of a “baby” eagle in his nest on North East Pond. The young eagle is almost as big as the parent who brought him a fish for lunch. He is not flying, but should be soon.
I’m getting hungry!
Here it comes! Looks like a nice sized fish.
Oh! Very nice! I’ll be right over there!
Umm! Is this all for me?
The adult moved to another branch with the chick in the back ground.
Keep your distance!
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