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Celebrating the significant
of the Forest Society’s 25-year centennial vision, New Hampshire
Historic Property in Wilton Conserved
Hike with Heart: The 2025 Five Hikes Challenge
Bethlehem’s Underhill Acres Conserved as a Legacy Forest
Word Search Puzzle
The George F. Smith Woodlot in Newfields
Under Threat: What to Know About Beech Leaf Disease
CHAIR
Drew Kellner, Brookline
VICE CHAIR
Peter Fauver, North Conway
SECRETARY
Allyson Hicks, Concord
TREASURER
Jason Hicks, Meredith PRESIDENT
Jack Savage, Middleton
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Susan Arnold, Strafford
Philip Bryce, Deering
Deb Buxton, Greenfield
George Epstein, Silver Lake
Don Floyd, Concord
Jameson French, Portsmouth
Patricia Losik, Rye
Amy Reagle Meyers, Jaffrey
Michael Morison, Peterborough
Elizabeth Salas, Weare
Bill “Tuck” Tucker, Goffstown
Tom Wagner, Campton
Janet Zeller, Concord STAFF
Josh Abbott, Regional Stewardship Manager
Ben Aldrich, Field Forester
Frank Allen, Building and Grounds Assistant
Sarah AlSamaraee, Stewardship & Forestry Administrative Coordinator
Dave Anderson, Senior Director of Education
Kristine Arey, Program Director, The Rocks
Brie Belisle, Regional Stewardship Manager
Nik Berube, Maintenance Assistant
Naomi Brattlof, Director of Easement Stewardship
Adam Buxbaum, Christmas Tree Farmer, The Rocks
Rita Carroll, Tree Farm Administrator
Tony Cheek, Vice President for Finance
Connie Colton, Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator
Linda Dammann, Development Assistant
Carrie Deegan, Vice President for Recreation Management and Public Engagement
Steve Fuller, Regional Stewardship Manager
Leah Hart, Land Conservation Project Manager
Stacie Hernandez, Land Conservation Project Manager
As this issue of Forest Notes went to press, we received word that the court granted summary judgement in favor of the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) in a lawsuit over two proposed timber harvests that follow the guidance of the current Forest Management Plan.
We joined eight other conservation organizations to file an amicus brief supporting the WMNF in this case, an extraordinary demonstration of partnership. It’s a win for thoughtful forest management based on good silviculture.
In this issue, you can also read about the recently released study, The Benefits of New Hampshire’s Open Space, another effort made possible with the collaboration of many of the same partners plus others. It seems extraordinary that we must once again remind ourselves of the benefits of living and working in a landscape that includes forests, waters, fields, and farms.
And that brings me to our report on the conservation accomplishments of the last 25 years in New Hampshire. Guided by our aspirational New Hampshire Everlasting vision, the Forest Society doubled the number of protected forests in our care.
Our work was just part of the collective achievement—nearly 700,000 acres—of
the conservation community in New Hampshire during the first quarter of the 21st century. When we aren’t working together, we are working side by side across the state. It’s why today we are more than 30 percent conserved statewide.
As we approach our 125th anniversary next year, we’re reflecting on what made this era of conservation so successful—and how its lessons can shape what comes next. A new vision is beginning to take root, inspired by the same belief that brought us this far: that when we work together, big things are possible.
There’s every reason to feel hopeful about the future of New Hampshire’s lands—and the communities that depend on them. And with continued action, we can achieve what the Forest Society’s founders sought more than a century ago—to keep our forests as forests.
Jack Savage is the president of the Forest Society. He can be reached by email at jsavage@forestsociety.org.
Magic exists for young and old forestsociety.org/somethingwild
“I love hiking at the Morse Preserve because it is an excellent choice for when you need something short and relatively easy but still “hikey” enough for a little workout—plus there’s a nice “payoff” view to boot. It’s exciting to see more conservation land being added to the area, increasing the footprint of natural areas and protected watersheds. This is so important in the Lakes Region and everywhere.”
—Tara Lamper
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
A nonprofit membership organization founded in 1901 to protect the state’s most important landscapes and promote wise use of its renewable natural resources.
Basic annual membership fee is $45 and includes a subscription to Forest Notes
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View from Mount Kearsarge
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Forest Fairies
Historic Wilton Property Conserved
Fred Roedel and his late wife, Katharine “Kay” Roedel, long dreamed of conserving their scenic Wilton property, known for its rich wildlife habitat and deep history. Once home to Whiting Dairy, the land also served as the Hillsborough County Poor Farm from 1867–1895 and is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places as the Oliver Whiting Homestead. Today, its hilltop fields offer sweeping views of Pack Monadnock and North Pack Monadnock, while providing habitat for diverse wildlife. Connolly Farms currently harvests hay there to help supply dairy
cows at Connolly Brothers Dairy Farm in Temple, where the milk becomes their signature ice cream. In August 2025, Fred and Kay’s dream was realized when Fred donated a 127-acre conservation easement to the Forest Society. We will be forever grateful for their generous gift.
Hike with Heart: The 2025 Five Hikes Challenge August 30–October 31, 2025
The Forest Society’s popular do-ityourself hiking adventure is back for its sixth year with a new theme: Hike with Heart—an invitation to connect more deeply with New Hampshire’s forests and consider how your steps can help to protect them for future generations.
From August 30–October 31, participants choose five hiking or walking destinations from a list of 30-plus scenic Forest Society properties located across New Hampshire including the Seacoast, Merrimack Valley, Monadnock, Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee, Lakes, White Mountains, and North
Country regions. You can also track your progress and explore destinations using the Forest Society Mobile App (powered by OuterSpatial). Once registered, you’ll receive printed trail maps, directions, and trail guides for your selected hikes; hiking safely and responsibly tips; interpretive info about the land; a limited-edition 2025 Five Hikes Challenge sticker; and invitations to optional guided hikes led by Forest Society staff. The 5 Hikes Challenge is free for Forest Society members. To get started, visit forestsociety. org/5hikeschallenge2025.
From left, Fred Roedel poses for a photo on his recently conserved land. Built in 1885 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, the County Farm Bridge was part of the main access road to the Hillsborough County Poor Farm.
Mount Major is a fan favorite of 5HC participants.
Bethlehem’s Underhill Acres Conserved as a Legacy Forest
In the summer of 2025, a group of siblings protected their 258-acre property in Bethlehem, N.H., by donating a conservation easement to the Forest Society. Oliver “Red” and Patricia Underhill purchased the forestland in 1946. In 1956, Red enrolled the property in the American Tree Farm System, making it one of the oldest Tree Farms in the country today. “Both my parents loved Underhill Acres, but in my father’s later years it became the essence of his being,” says daughter, Hilary Veilleux. “He just loved this land. I think he would be very happy knowing it is now protected with the Forest Society.”
The easement ensures that the family can continue owning and managing the land while permanently protecting its diverse, carefully managed forests, important wildlife habitat, and more than a mile of frontage along a perennial stream and the Gale River—both part of the Ammonoosuc River watershed. Abutting a section of the White Mountain National Forest, Underhill Acres strengthens a growing network of conserved lands that support biodiversity, wildlife connectivity, and climate resilience.
“Underhill Acres is part of the Forest Society’s neighborhood—just over the hill from The Rocks,” says Jack Savage, president of the Forest Society. “We’re grateful to this family for their dedication to sustainable forestry and for making sure this special place will remain for generations to come.”
While the conservation easement was donated by the family, funding for the
Forest Society’s transaction and long-term stewardship costs came in part from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Upper Connecticut River Mitigation and Enhancement Fund and the State Conservation Committee’s Conservation Moose Plate Grant Program.
“This land has given us so much— solitude, rejuvenation, laughter, sledding, hiking, snowshoeing, family times, birds, animals, and beauty. It does not owe us anything,” Hilary adds. “We ‘owe’ the land, and by managing it sustainably, we can give back some of what we’ve received and ensure that future generations will experience its beauty.”
To continue celebrating the project’s completion, Underhill Acres was featured as the host property for the New Hampshire Tree Farm Program’s annual Tree Farm Field Day on September 13, 2025.
For more information about conservation easements and stewardship, please visit forestsociety.org/easement-stewardship.
The Easement Stewardship team has some new (and returning) faces to introduce! Meet our stewardship managers and look for opportunities to engage with us on your easements this fall!
—Naomi
Brattlof Easement Stewardship Director
During the Forest Society’s 5 Hikes Challenge (August 30–October 31) staff will lead hikes to new or classic destinations.
These outings include:
• Mount Major on October 8
• Monson Village on October 10
• The Bean Forest on October 29
For more information, visit forestsociety.org/5hikeschallenge.
Valnère and Hilary, two of Patricia and Oliver Underhill’s daughters, pose for a photo at the Concord Conservation Center.
Trail Work Terminology
How many words can you
PHOTO BY M. SHEPPARD
Consulting Foresters
The Forest Society encourages landowners to consult with a licensed forester before undertaking land management activities. The following are paid advertisers.
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Offering complete forest management services, including timber sales, cruises, appraisals, and wildlife habitat management. Ask us about recreation trail planning, construction, Brontosaurus mowing, and forestry excavation services. P.O. Box 89, New Hampton, NH 03256 • 603-744-9484 Email: martinforestry@gmail.com
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Licensed foresters should address inquiries about advertising to Anne Truslow by calling
or emailing
The George F. Smith Woodlot in Newfields A Legacy of Stewardship
Story by Ben Aldrich
The George F. Smith Woodlot lies nestled between two rail lines near the heart of Newfields. Much of the land management history of this area has been unintentionally influenced by the railroad. In 1914, a fire sparked by coalpowered steam trains swept through the forest, burning many acres in Newfields. This fire acted as the ecological disturbance that initiated forest regeneration on what is now the Forest Society’s 80-acre Smith Woodlot, composed of two distinct parcels. One 30-acre parcel was left to recover from the fire with minimal intervention, while the 50-acre parcel owned by the Smith Family was intensively managed. This spring, I had the opportunity to inventory both parcels and observed a striking contrast between them.
When George and Emma Smith bought their 50-acre woodlot in 1923, the land was still recovering from the fire. Much of the vegetation was scrubby, with a mixture of early successional species. Grey birch, pitch pine, and juniper established under the sparse overstory of surviving trees. Until 1940, the Smith family used the land as pasture to some extent, supplementing George’s salary from the B&M railroad. The pasture slowly reverted to forest; white pine and oak began to establish among the brush. They worked the land, thinning out the pitch pine and grey birch, much like weeding a garden, to give the more desirable species room to thrive. Their goal was to transform the area into a working forest capable of producing high-quality timber.
As George and Emma got older, their son Earl Smith took over the management. Using hand tools and local gravel, he built the two-mile internal road system. This road better facilitated the management and allowed for firewood extraction from
anywhere on the woodlot as no tree was more than 400 feet from the road. The first timber harvest under Earl occurred in 1953, covering 20 acres. Following the harvest, Earl weeded the saplings that regenerated to promote the growth of the desired species mix.
In 1967, Earl showed the woodlot to Rockingham County Extension Forester Stan Knowles, who then guided him in his intensive management of the woodlot. With Stan’s help, Earl was able to meet his goals of growing valuable timber while also supporting wildlife. That year, Stan marked the remaining 25 acres for a timber harvest to remove lower quality trees.
Over the years, Earl continued his work to increase the value of the trees. By 1976, he had pruned nearly every white pine and weeded another 16 acres. As his health declined, he approached the Forest Society with an offer to sell the woodlot at a bargain price. To Earl, this land was his salvation. He feared that without protection, the woodlot would be developed, erasing his legacy of hard work. The woodlot was protected in 1976 and serves as a demonstration forest. Earl would continue to remove small amounts of firewood in coordination with the Forest Society’s foresters.
While the Smith woodlot was being managed primarily for timber and wildlife, the neighboring 30-acre parcel, owned by an investment group, faced a different fate. Access was a challenge, blocked by both rail lines and the Smith Woodlot. To develop the land, the group would need to install an expensive railroad crossing. Ironically, the same railway that had torched the forest was now preventing its destruction. Their only remaining option was to request a right-of-way from the Forest Society, which, staying
true to mission, refused to facilitate the conversion of forestland. After multiple failed attempts to gain access, one member of the corporation eventually inquired whether the Forest Society would purchase the land. With funding from the French Fund for Land Protection in Rockingham County, the Forest Society acquired the parcel in 1990, adding the 30 acres to the George Smith Woodlot.
Under Forest Society management, a biomass harvest was conducted in 1993 on portions of both parcels to remove low-quality trees. A small salvage operation followed a windstorm in 2010. During my recent inventory, the contrast between the two parcels was striking. The original Smith parcel featured a well-spaced overstory of pruned, highquality white pine and oak. It reminded me of my time working in Germany’s
George Smith clears undesirable underbrush at his Newfields woodlot.
Black Forest, where trees are intensely managed from a young age. Dead trees are rare, as crop trees are harvested before they decline and ample space is provided for growth. Since 2010, timber has not been harvested at the Smith Woodlot. As a result, deadwood is now accumulating, and remnants of the early successional forest, such as juniper and big-toothed aspen still persist in the understory.
In contrast, the pine stand in the addition has a more natural, unmanaged feel. It contains lower-quality, open-grown pine and a dense overstory typical of many southern New Hampshire woodlots. While the total volume of wood is higher in the addition, areas in the addition have much lower stocking of sawtimber. This highlights the impact of repeated improvement treatments. Straight, high-quality trees are present in the addition, but less dominant. In the original parcel, 70 percent of the white pine were deemed good quality for timber, compared to just 44 percent in the addition. Although management has improved timber quality, the addition offers valuable wildlife habitat away from trails, with more large-diameter cavity trees and downed logs.
Our management approach at the Forest Society seeks to bridge these two regimes—balancing timber production with wildlife habitat enhancement. We retain and promote not only crop trees but also habitat trees. Where large-diameter dead trees are lacking, we can create them through girdling. Reducing the frequency of timber harvests allows natural mortality to occur, increasing deadwood availability.
During my inventory, I noted that the addition is ready for intervention. Much of the pine is declining, while the oak remains in good condition. Through patch cuts, we can regenerate a diverse species mix under favorable conditions, creating young forest habitat that is increasingly rare in the region. Other areas will be thinned to promote high-quality oak now growing beneath mature and declining pine. In the original parcel, the pine continues to gain value, allowing for a longer rotation and
the eventual retention of large-diameter trees as future deadwood.
There is a third piece of forestland that hasn’t yet been mentioned, an area Earl referred to as “Sharp’s Gravel Pit.”
Unlike the other two parcels, this land was eventually subdivided and developed into housing. Since 1990, the town of Newfields has doubled in population.
Had the Smith Woodlot and the adjacent addition not been protected, they likely would have faced the same development outcome. And if the addition had been managed for forest products rather than viewed primarily as a speculative land investment, the owners might have recognized the long-term value of keeping it forested. Instead, under Forest Society ownership the two parcels together continue to deliver natural benefits to the surrounding community, including protecting an important drinking water aquifer that serves local households.
The story of the George Smith Woodlot demonstrates that even a small parcel can function as a productive working forest if
it’s in the right hands. During his years of stewardship, Earl Smith harvested 400–500 cords of firewood to heat his home and earned income from periodic timber harvests. But more importantly, he found joy in the work, leaving behind a legacy of care and commitment that continues to inspire.
As for the railroad that once sparked a devastating fire and created an obstacle for development, it now serves a new purpose. One line remains in operation, and is used by Amtrak trains running on diesel, eliminating the threat of sparks landing in the forest. The northern line is now the Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail, connecting Newfields to Manchester and offering a path for cyclists, horseback riders, hikers, and snowmobilers. It also provides access to the trail system Earl Smith built, inviting the public to experience firsthand what’s possible, even on a small piece of land.
Ben Aldrich is a field forester for the Forest Society.
An aerial photo of the George Smith Woodlot (left) shows the proximity of the property to the Amtrack rail line and the Great Bay.
Under Threat: What to Know About Beech Leaf Disease
Story
In 2024, beech leaf disease was just becoming noticeable in trees across Strafford County and Belknap County. For several weeks, it seemed like I was adding a new town to the beech leaf disease detections map every few days.
This summer, trees that were only lightly infested with beech leaf disease last year look drastically different now, with wrinkled, distorted leaves that I’ve been
describing as “crispy.” Beech leaf disease continues to spread quickly throughout New Hampshire.
American beech, Fagus grandifolia , is one of the most ubiquitous trees in New Hampshire forests. Because it’s so plentiful and ordinary, rarely achieving the superlatives of other more charismatic species, it’s easy to regard beech with indifference, or in the case of some
foresters, even disdain, for its low timber value and tendency to dominate the forest understory and shade out regeneration of other species.
Beech does, however, provide a significant source of food (beech nuts) and valuable habitat (long-lasting cavities in dead beech snags) for wildlife and is an important part of our forest ecosystems. I’ve never personally disliked beech,
and photos by Lindsay Watkins
Beech leaf disease nematodes invade beech buds in the summer and fall, then feed and overwinter in the buds, causing damage that can be seen in the spring.
Beech Leaf Disease
Detections
Beech bark disease occurs when a beech tree is infested with the beech scale, Cryptococcus fagisuga, and then becomes colonized by one of several species of Neonectria fungi.
Beech Leaf Disease Detections
Beech Leaf Disease
O No Known Infestations
•2022
-2023
02024
02025
Litylenchus crenatae ssp. Mcannii.
As of July 2025, beech leaf disease has spread as far north as Woodstock, N.H.
Beech leaf disease nematodes invade beech buds in the summer and fall, then feed and overwinter in the buds, causing damage that can be seen in the spring. Nematode eggs are dispersed as leaves expand and are likely to be spread by birds, insects, wind, splashing rainwater, and even animals that feed on beech nuts.
Beech leaf disease is believed to be native to Japan and was detected in Ohio in 2012. By 2019 it made its way east to southwestern Connecticut, and it was first found in New Hampshire in 2022. As of
A female and male Litylenchus crenatae. Micrograph courtesy of Paulo Vieira, BARC, ARS-USDA.
July 2025, BLD has spread as far north as Woodstock, N.H., and is likely to be present in most areas south of the White Mountain National Forest even if it has not been formally reported yet.
Beech leaf disease can be recognized by distinctive bands of darker-colored tissue between the veins of the leaves (often best seen from below), along with curling and distortion of the foliage. The leaves can develop a thick, leathery texture and may drop prematurely. To compensate, some trees may produce a second flush of leaves that are free of nematodes but are pale and small and less productive than healthy leaves. In trees with a heavy nematode infestation, buds may be killed entirely, leading to branch dieback and eventually the death of the tree. Trees in southern New
England seem to be dying quickly (within 3-6 years) after infestation, with the effects of beech leaf disease likely compounded by other stress factors such as drought, winter injury, and other pests and pathogens.
While beech leaf disease is a significant threat to forest health, it’s important to know that it’s not the only cause of visible damage to beach leaves. I’ve been seeing some rough looking beeches across the state and not all of them are affected by BLD. A few other organisms that can cause visible damage to beech leaves include eriophyid mites, aphids, and anthracnose.
Beech erineum mite (Acalitus fagerinea), a type of Eriophyid mite, produces velvety patches of erineum galls that can progress from light green to yellow to rusty-red to dark brown over of the course of the
A beech tree produces a second flush of leaves to compensate for the die off of first round growth.
Erineum patches produced by eriophyid mites on beech are generally viewed as oddities rather than a significant tree problem.
season. Erineum patches can sometimes resemble BLD and they may limit photosynthesis in affected leaves, but the effects on the tree are primarily cosmetic.
Anthracnose is a fungal infection that causes black and brown spots and may cause the edges of new beech leaves to curl. Anthracnose is most prevalent when weather conditions are cool and wet during bud-break, which was certainly the case in some parts of the state this spring.
Some species of aphids can also cause leaf curling and damage that resembles the “banding” seen in beech leaf disease.
What Should We Do?
While our understanding of beach leaf disease continues to grow, unfortunately there are not yet any treatment options
that appear to be effective for beech in a forested setting. The best management strategies for beech are likely to vary, and landowners are encouraged to contact their county forester for assistance.
For significant or high-value landscape trees, several treatment options show promise for reducing and managing beech leaf disease symptoms, including systemic potassium phosphite treatments, foliar applications of a fluopyrambased fungicide/nematicide, and trunk injection with thiabendazole, a fungicide/ nematicide also used to manage Dutch elm disease. Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages, and landowners hoping to preserve individual trees should consult with a certified arborist with experience in plant
healthcare. The New Hampshire Arborist Association and International Society of Arboriculture both maintain directories of certified arborists. It’s important to note that while arborists do not need to be licensed or certified in New Hampshire, a license is required for commercial application of pesticides.
Lindsay Watkins is the Strafford County Forester.
Speak Out!
If you see beech leaf disease, especially in a town where it has not yet been detected, please submit a report to NHBugs at nhbugs.org/reporting-form.
Lab Extension Specialist Jake Zack of Bartlett Tree Research Lab treats a beech tree to protect it from beech leaf disease.
Finding Lost River
A favorite family summer adventure harbors a little-known railroad logging history
By Dave Anderson
Lost River is an ideal destination for exploring nature, history, and culture. The Forest Society protected this scenic natural wonder in 1912 as its first-ever forest reservation. Lost River is a place where, as the iconic Led Zepplin song lyric suggests, “the forest will echo with laughter.”
Lost River in North Woodstock has thrilled summer visitors for more than a century. The cool, shady gorge features cascading waterfalls and natural boulder caves. On hot summer days, temperatures in the valley may reach eighty-five degrees but the gorge remains in the sixties. The unique one-mile boardwalk with stairways winds through eleven different caves where the actual Lost River plays hide-and-seek amid and underneath boulders. Exploring these caves is optional as the main boardwalk offers a bypass option around each.
Visiting Lost River is a family summer tradition. Multiple generations often reminisce while re-experiencing caves with names like “Lemon Squeezer,” “Center of the Earth,” and “Cave of Silence.” Incredulous visitors ask the staff if the rocks are real or if they turn the water off at night. You might laugh, but in a world of digital distractions, artificial theme parks, and adventure rides, many people have never had an opportunity to experience a unique, 100 percent natural setting like Lost River. The alchemy involves quality family time together outdoors in nature while unplugged from digital devices. Yet don’t ditch the phone entirely because selfie photo opportunities abound. Lost River offers many fun, safe, and family-friendly experiences, including the Forest Adventure Trail, treehouse pavilion, suspension bridge, covered bridge, a giant bird nest, and observation platforms with stunning views of the Lost River Valley.
COLLEEN ELIASON
Just 125 years ago, Lost River was one of the last frontiers of a fading White Mountain logging empire. The conservation pioneers who founded the Forest Society in 1901 began to lobby to create a national forest in New Hampshire. The purchase of 152 acres in March 1912 at Lost River was the first permanent conservation property owned by the Forest Society, which today owns more than 200 properties totaling 67,000 acres. The land at Lost River was donated by Publisher’s Paper Company and The Mattson Manufacturing donated its hardwood timber rights. However, the Forest Society needed to purchase the more valuable rights to red spruce timber owned by an infamous logger named George L. Johnson. Living up to his shrewd reputation, Johnson drove a hard bargain, negotiating the sale
of the softwood timber rights for $7,000. The Forest Society’s purchase was made explicitly to protect remaining old growth and with a goal to improve public visitation.
Today, Lost River is surrounded by the White Mountain National Forest and the tract includes relict old growth yellow birch and red spruce forest amid boulders below steep talus slopes at the foot of Dilly Cliffs and the most inaccessible recesses of Lost River gorge. Trees that G.L. Johnson calculated he could never extract from the rugged and inoperable Lost River tract are the last vestiges of old growth left at the close of his logging empire. According to Rick Russack writing for The Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society, G.L. Johnson built and operated a logging railroad known as the Gordon Pond Railroad, which was incorporated in 1907. The track was leased from the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M), which served the region’s nascent tourist trade. Logging railroads provided a profitable flow of freight for the B&M, so they often leased track and other equipment to loggers. The Gordon Pond Railroad eventually owned 15 miles of track, mostly to the west of the Pemigewasset River, although some track did run north to Indian Head and the Flume. Johnson’s land holdings extended west to Lost River.
G.L. Johnson literally built a town he named for himself, Johnson, N.H., which had its own post office and appeared on 1900s-era maps. The town was located where the Indian Head Resort is today. Johnson’s sawmill could cut 65,000 feet of lumber per day. His logging railroad operated four Shay-geared locomotives. The company town also had a general store, school, and several houses for employees. The Town of Johnson was short lived, however, and very little of it survives today. The schoolhouse has been moved and is a private residence today. Logging was over by 1915, the same year the mill burned and the rails were taken up. During its short life, the Johnson Lumber Company cut about 150 million board feet of lumber. Johnson also operated a second sawmill located on Route 112 where the Lost River Campground is today. Before 1912, the logging advanced from this western outpost into the remote, rugged terrain of Kinsman Notch to access virgin red spruce timber. Today, the Appalachian Trail crosses the floor of Kinsman Notch, the watershed divide of the Ammonoosuc and Merrimack rivers.
Logging on Mount Moosilauke and along the upper Ammonoosuc River at Wildwood and Bungy included a series
One of many waterfalls at Lost River in North Woodstock.
of small impoundments called “squirt dams” that would build up a sufficient head of water to flush logs west downstream to mills at Woodsville and points further south on the Connecticut River. To the east of Lost River, the second G.L. Johnson Lumber Company sawmill operated from 1904 to 1916 in Woodstock.
The underlying land at Lost River was owned by the Publisher’s Paper Company, which had conveyed all the timber rights to G. L. Johnson. Johnson drove a shrewd bargain with the Matson Manufacturing Company of Pennsylvania, selling them the rights to relatively worthless yellow birch in Kinsman Notch while retaining rights to the more lucrative red spruce timber. In that era, hardwood timber—used for making wood specialty products, think furniture, bobbins, and spools for the textile industry—was considered less valuable than tall, straight higher-volume red spruce timber used for manufacturing lumber.
Forest Society forester J. Willcox Brown wrote in the Forest History of Mount Moosilauke that Johnson was “perhaps the smartest logger to ever set foot on Moosilauke. Esteemed ‘a shrewd old cuss,’ he was reputedly so crooked he could hide behind a corkscrew.” During the first decade of the 1900s, the Johnson sawmill operated on borrowed capital in the form of rails and rolling stock for construction and operation of “a sturdy economical logging railroad to access virgin red spruce in Kinsman Notch and the surrounding valleys of Mount Blue and Mount Moosilauke. The “Titan of the East Slope,” G.L. Johnson paid off his entire debt in the first winter by delivering all of the logs he cut to the larger James J.E. Henry sawmill in Lincoln. Johnson then cut timber owned by the Woodstock Lumber Company to build his own thriving lumber empire complete with a large steam mill at the foot of the brook flowing from the north slope of Mount Moosilauke.
More railroad construction followed: west up the steep hill to Lost River and south to logging camps at Mount Cilley and Elbow Pond. For 1903 to 1914, Johnson’s “artful” logging camp walking boss was Jake McGraw whose innovative logging exploits are legendary. From the beaver meadows at the height of land, the last of the tall red spruce timber was blocked by a vertical black crag jutting off Moosilauke between Beaver Brook and Stark Brook Falls. McGraw built a logging road around the base of the crag and then up the steep Stark Falls valley. According to J. Willcox Brown, McGraw explained how he installed a cable drum at the upper terminus to lower logs to the meadow below with the logs snubbed back with an endless wire rope the (horse) teams could slide safely on their haunches down the steep slope. McGraw is alleged to have said, “They sure looked handsome. Like they were ready for a fancy drive with the long sticks a-rearin’ up behind them.”
J. Willcox Brown adds one poignant postscript: “G.L. Johnson lived to regret but one business mistake. In March 1912, the Society for the Protection of NH Forests acquired title to a tract in Kinsman Notch, including the famous caverns and ledges to the
north. The ledges bore a scattered stand of old spruce which even McGraw did not believe he could log, so Johnson thought he was driving another shrewd bargain when he gracefully relinquished his claim to the stumpage involved for a substantial amount of cash…Several years later, in 1916 he visited the thriving new project at the height of the summer season. After sitting all day in subdued observation of the throngs paying twenty-five cents admission to the caverns, he turned to Michael McCarthy, superintendent of Lost River Reservation, and said, “Mike, dammit, I never should have sold this place, and I couldn’t see it.”
Rick Russack writing for White Mountains History website relates, “in March of 1916, a surrounding tract of more than 30,000 acres once owned by Publishers Paper Company on the east slopes of Moosilauke and the Kinsman Range was sold to the U.S. as an addition to the new White Mountain National Forest. By 1916, the town of Johnson was deserted. The large mill had burned in 1915, and since most of the available lumber on the leased lands had been cut, the mill was not rebuilt. The Johnson lands became the second parcel acquired for the newly formed White Mountain National Forest.”
Over the years, many of the lands the Forest Society acquired in the early part of the twentieth century were later transferred to the White Mountain National Forest. But not Lost River. That first conservation area remains a flagship destination owned by the Forest Society, today managed by White Mountains Attractions to handle the upwards of 50,000 annual visitors.
Dave Anderson is senior director of education for the Forest Society.
Get Out!
There’s still time to plan a trip to Lost River before it closes for the season in mid-October.
Visit forestsociety.org/lostriver to learn more.
Top: The Lost River saw mill.
Right: The Johnson, N.H., general store.
New Hampshire Everlasting Then and Now The Centennial
By Anne Truslow and Ryan Smith
The 2,670-acre Shelburne Valley Forest | Photo: Ryan Smith
In June 1853, Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal, “I long for wildness, a nature which I cannot put my foot through, woods where the wood thrush forever sings, where the hours are early morning ones, and there is dew on the grass, and the day is forever unproved… a New Hampshire everlasting and unfallen.”
Nearly 25 years ago, as the Forest Society approached its Centennial, New Hampshire was experiencing rapid growth and change. In the southern part of the state, both residential and commercial land development was sprawling into formerly rural areas, quickly changing what was known as community character. The northern part of the state was thrown into flux by changing land ownership patterns. The Northern Forest, long in large paper company and timber management ownerships and virtually open for public use, was being parcelized and sold. Mills were separated from timberlands, and timberlands were increasingly managed as investments, under pressure to deliver a financial return on a ten-year cycle rather than on 50-year harvest rotations. There was an urgency in the air.
The state of New Hampshire had already made a bold and successful investment in land conservation. Supported by the Forest Society and others through the Trust for New Hampshire Lands, the Land Conservation Investment Program (LCIP) was a mechanism for the state to appropriate funds for land conservation, which resulted in more than 100,000 acres protected in 78 municipalities between 1986 and 1993. But the program had sunseted, by design, at a time of intense growth pressure. New Hampshire was the fastest growing state in the Northeast, the population had doubled since the 1950s, and was in the process of going from 87 percent forested in the 1980s to 83 percent forested in 2000.
It was in this context that the Forest Society launched its Centennial vision for the state in 2001, New Hampshire Everlasting: An Initiative to Conserve Our Quality of Life.
Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal in June 1853:
I long for wildness, a nature which I cannot put my foot through, woods where the wood thrush forever sings, where the hours are early morning ones, and there is dew on the grass, and the day is forever unproved… a New Hampshire everlasting and unfallen.
With the audacity of borrowing from a Henry David Thoreau quote, the New Hampshire Everlasting vision was similarly audacious. It called for conserving one million acres of land over the 25 years from 2001 to 2026.
To do so, it proposed five interconnected goals:
1. Support every community in conserving, with partners, at least 25 percent of its land base for public benefit.
2. Conserve our share of the world’s productive forest and promote sustainable forestry and the forest economy so that New Hampshire produces the equivalent in forest products of what its residents consume.
3. Conserve critical habitat to sustain healthy ecosystems to support native species across the state.
4. Sustain drinking water supplies and healthy aquatic ecosystems by conserving watershed lands and buffer areas.
5. Protect the most productive agricultural land so that communities have access to healthy food and the state can sustain at least its current level of food production.
Looking back, Sarah Thorne, then the Forest Society’s research director, recalls, “2001 was a fertile time to be looking toward the Society’s next quarter century of land conservation. We built New Hampshire Everlasting as our roadmap to sustain our cherished quality of life in the state.”
But there was no illusion that the Forest Society would or could accomplish such lofty goals on its own. Sarah continues, “We had the community volunteers, a strong mother organization, scientific underpinnings, and the political coalition. Community members surged to join local conservation initiatives growing out
of the Trust for New Hampshire Lands and Land Conservation Investment Program (LCIP) in the 1980s and 1990s. Research staff used powerful new computerized geographic information systems—informing our vision with science.”
While the metrics of New Hampshire Everlasting center on land conservation—conserving one million acres—achieving the vision relied on community, shared goals, collaborative work, generous donors, and visionary landowners. Jane Difley, the president/forester who led the launch and implementation of New Hampshire Everlasting, recalls, “New Hampshire Everlasting was aspirational, not just for the Forest Society but for the state as a whole. We hoped that bold goals would inspire others to rise to the challenge—and I think it did.”
Right away, the Forest Society and partner organizations went to work on establishing a new source of state funding for land conservation. The Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) was formed as a successor to LCIP in 2001, creating a new mechanism for matching funds to support both land conservation and historic preservation in the state. It took until 2008, however, to establish a dedicated funding source for the program in the form of fees on real estate transfers, which today has allowed the investment of $65 million in 206 communities, helping to rehabilitate 192 historic structures and conserve nearly 250,000 acres of land.
In 2001, the Forest Society, the Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, and New Hampshire Audubon were regional and national organizations active across the state. The Upper Valley Land Trust, Harris Center, and several town or multi-town land trusts were well established—and new land trusts, lake associations, watershed groups, and trail collaboratives were on the rise. And rise they did. Some were supported for a time by the Forest Society’s Center for Land Conservation Assistance, UNH Cooperative Extension, and the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions (NHACC).
Over the past 25 years, New Hampshire has benefited from the growth of regional land trusts that have strengthened themselves and their communities, sometimes by merging together—today the NH Land Trust Coalition boasts 30 members, from Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire (SELT), a powerhouse on the coast, to the Monadnock Conservancy, now an institution in the southwest. NHACC provides essential support to towns and their conservation commissions. No longer is the Forest Society the elephant in the room—and that is a victory.
Both Jane Difley and Sarah Thorne reflected on how the development of sophisticated mapping tools using geographic information systems (GIS) changed conservation planning and collaboration. This may be one of the most significant advances in both land conservation and land management practices over the past 25 years. Suddenly it was possible to make a map that showed the places where critical habitat, wetlands, aquifers, large forest blocks, and other values overlap—guiding conservation
In 2010, the Merrimack River was identified by the U.S. Forest Service as “one of the most threatened watersheds in the nation” in terms of projected loss of private forest land over the next twenty years. This designation inspired a broad partnership of environmental organizations and public agencies in New Hampshire and Massachusetts called the Merrimack Conservation Partnership to embark on an ambitious effort to develop a conservation plan that would focus and accelerate land conservation in the Merrimack River watershed.
groups to the most significant and threatened places. This meant the Forest Society could be proactive in selecting projects and be more coordinated and effective at working in partnership. As Jane added, “We were never trying to conserve the entire state. We were trying to protect the most important resources for multiple benefits. GIS gave us the tools to identify the priority places, and the Forest Society was dedicated to helping other groups and towns learn how to use these new tools to be strategic.”
At the same time, bolstered by a national mandate (and funding) to create state-based Wildlife Action Plans, New Hampshire Fish and Game made an enormous investment in data analysis and mapping that was shared with nonprofit partners and towns. New Hampshire’s State Wildlife Action Plan was widely regarded as one of the best in the nation, and because of that, New Hampshire conservation projects were able to attract federal and regional funding.
With maps in hand and goals on the horizon, New Hampshire was on the leading edge in developing regional conservation partnerships. In 2003, more than 23 groups came together to form the Quabbin to Cardigan Collaborative (Q2C), outlining a geography that spanned a south-to-north corridor from the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts, up the center of New Hampshire encompassing mounts Monadnock and Sunapee, ultimately to the White Mountains. Characterized by large forest blocks, varied altitude and habitat types, the Q2C also became a place to plan for climate change adaptation. Similar regional planning efforts included the formation of the Great Bay
Resource Protection Partnership, the Merrimack River Watershed Partnership, and the Connecticut River Partnership, engaging land trusts, towns, and state and federal agencies around common goals and priorities, bringing many different missions, strengths, and funding sources to bear.
Together, these factors and many more bring us nearly 25 years on with significant accomplishments to celebrate. The story by the numbers is detailed in the sidebar on page 23— over the past 25 years nearly 700,000 acres has been protected in the state, and of that, the Forest Society had a role in conserving more than 280,000 acres. In 2001, the Forest Society owned 128 properties extending over about 38,000 acres and today owns over 200 properties constituting 67,000 acres. In 2001, the Forest Society held 460 conservation easements and restrictions, protecting 76,000 acres of land. Today, the Forest Society holds over 850 conservation easements and restrictions that protect 140,000 acres of land. In sum, our fee and easements total over 200,000 acres. “We often talk about acres. We really should be talking about people and the stories of place,” says current Forest Society president Jack Savage, who first joined the staff in 2005. “The landowners who make the decision to conserve their land—whether with the Forest Society or Moose Mountains Regional Greenways or with the state or their town—are making a commitment for the greater good, keeping forests as forests in New Hampshire.”
The Forest Society has evolved over the course of New Hampshire Everlasting. We remain a forestry organization and a land trust. We proudly champion and practice sustainable
forestry, especially in this age of climate change when forest resilience is at the heart of forest health. But over 25 years, we have increasingly welcomed recreational use in our forests. We’ve improved trails, invested in infrastructure, and even purchased lands with the primary purpose of public recreation and public engagement—our 2013 purchase of land at Mount Major in Alton exemplified that shift.
We’ve also met crossroads, when we’ve summoned strength from the founding values of the Forest Society. When faced with a challenge to the promises of stewardship integrity we made to past land donors and our supporters, the Forest Society not only stood its ground, but stepped forward to resist the Northern Pass powerline proposal—not in opposition to energy expansion, but in opposition to the trampling of commitments we made to conserve and steward land for public benefit. In 2019, when fire ripped through our center of operations at The Rocks in Bethlehem, we paused, regrouped, and embraced the Forest Society’s roots as a statewide organization, investing in a deeper presence in the North Country by re-building at The Rocks to create a community resource while also demonstrating netzero building practices. None of it would be possible without the broad-based support of our members, donors, partners, and dedicated volunteers across the state.
As the Forest Society approaches its 125th anniversary, we’re reflecting on the achievements of New Hampshire Everlasting with both pride and humility. With almost 700,000 acres conserved over 25 years, New Hampshire has moved from a state that is 23 percent conserved to more than 34 percent conserved. We’ve made a difference in connecting wildlife habitat, maintaining vibrant working forests, protecting drinking water supplies,
and perhaps most importantly, rallying many interests around common goals. When we work together, big things are possible.
“When I look forward to the next 125 years, I am inspired by those who came before us—leaders with bold goals who set sail toward them, far-sighted donors who have given generously to ensure we remain steady through storms. We have risen to challenges and developed new tools and solutions to problems that were never anticipated,” says president Jack Savage. “We will need that same creativity and innovation in the years to come, with the cascade of challenges that a changing climate poses. Protecting forests is one of the best things we can do for the planet and for people. But we have work to do to ensure that we are equipped to manage land, waters, and wildlife in a rapidly changing and unpredictable environment. We need to take care of the lands we love, and that means welcoming recreational use and steering that enthusiasm for the outdoors into an ethic and commitment to stewardship over generations to come. We need to keep our promise.”
In 2026, the Forest Society will celebrate its 125th anniversary. There are more acres to conserve in pursuit of New Hampshire Everlasting’s goals, but we are preparing to turn the page. We’ll celebrate across the state next year—in tandem with the 250th birthday of the United States of America. The world moves faster than 25-year cycles, so we won’t launch another 25-year vision, but we will share a new set of bold aspirations to set us on the path for the next 125 years of keeping forests as forests in New Hampshire. In the meantime, Jack has launched a quest to visit 125 Forest Society properties to highlight the diversity of these special places across the state (it’s harder than you might think), so we’ll see you on the trails!
The renovated Carriage Barn at The Rocks. Losing the historic Tool Building to fire led to a new era for the 1884 carriage and cow barn.
New Hampshire Everlasting Achievements and Impact: 2001 to 2025
On the occasion of the Forest Society’s Centennial in 2001, the organization launched a vision of conservation in New Hampshire known as New Hampshire Everlasting.
The Statewide Challenge
The bold challenge of New Hampshire Everlasting was to conserve 1 million acres of land by 2026. To achieve this, the Forest Society set a goal conserving an additional 250,000 acres by 2026 either directly or in partnership— and that statewide, all agencies and land trust partners would conserve an additional 750,000 acres.
The Statewide Impact
In 2001, 1,365,076 acres of New Hampshire’s land was in conservation status; approximately 23 percent of the land base. By 2025, an additional 683,154 acres had been conserved, or 34.4 percent of the land base
The Forest Society’s Impact
Of that 683,154 acres, the Forest Society played a lead role in conserving 280,258 acres (42 percent).
This includes 91,458 acres directly and more than 188,600 acres as a principal partner, bringing the total acreage to more than 280,258.
New Hampshire Everlasting set a series of integrated land conservation goals:
Conserve Community Lands
GOAL: Every town in New Hampshire (221 in total) to set aside 25 percent of its land base.
2001: 55 towns had conserved at least 25% of their land base.
2025: 107 towns with at least 25 percent of their land base in conservation status.
Preserve Sustainably Managed Forests
GOAL: Grow our share of the wood we consume and support the forest-based economy.
2001: 1,224,409 acres of forestland in conservation status.
2025: 1,800,747 acres of forestland in conservation status. An increase of 576,338 acres.
According to Beyond the “Illusion of Preservation” (Littlefield, Donahue, Catanzaro, Foster, D’Amato, Laustsen, Hall, 2024), New Hampshire’s wood production and consumption was approximately equal in 2024.
Protect Key Habitat
GOAL: Protect native plant and animal species and keep our statewide biodiversity resilient and strong.
2001–2025: 341,312 acres of top tier wildlife habitat was conserved, bringing the total to 1,190,407 acres of high priority wildlife habitat conserved in the state.
Keep Our Water Clean
GOAL: Ensure the purity of aquatic ecosystems and drinking water supply.
2001: 77,354 acres of wetlands in conservation status.
2025: 132,636 acres of wetlands in conservation status. An increase of +55,282 acres.
Save Productive Farmlands
GOAL: Conserve the most productive agricultural soils to sustain local food production.
2001:: 15,776 acres of cropland/grasslands in conservation status.
2025: 31,229 acres of croplands/grasslands in conservation status. An increase of +15,453 acres.
Protecting The Rydstrom Family Forest
This August, the Forest Society announced the purchase of 1,328 acres in Bradford and Hillsborough, to be known as the Rydstrom Family Forest. In 2001, the Forest Society tried to acquire the property when a Canadian timber company sold the land on the open market. Again in 2014, Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust (Ausbon Sargent), with the help from the conservation commissions from the towns of Bradford and Hillsborough, nearly secured a conservation easement on the land. The project was finally completed by the Forest Society in June 2025, with Ausbon Sargent and the Bradford Conservation
Commission assisting the Forest Society on negotiating a purchase of the land using funds from a generous donor and an anonymous foundation.
“As the Forest Society was noticing this property decades ago, so too were the Hillsborough and Bradford conservation commissions,” states Ann Eldridge, chair of the Bradford Conservation Commission. “In 2014, when the property was for sale and being considered for a major shooting range, a group of women from both towns came together to approach the owner about protecting her property. She was receptive, took the property off the market, and considered
a conservation easement. Although she didn’t complete the easement process, we stayed in touch, and ten years later approached her about selling the property to the Forest Society. Now, the property is finally protected forever.”
The 1,328-acre property is located within a landscape of interconnected, biologically diverse forest blocks and is a core focus area of the Quabbin to Cardigan (Q2C) Partnership’s conservation plan. Formed in 2003, the partnership includes private organizations and state agencies from New Hampshire and Massachusetts who are focused on conserving land in the Monadnock Highlands of north-central
Above: A wetland complex at the Rydstrom Family Forest is prime habitat for spring peeper (opposite page, bottom right) and Joe Pye Weed (top right), a favorite of pollinators.
Massachusetts and western New Hampshire. The Q2C was one of the core partnerships formed as part of the Forest Society’s New Hampshire Everlasting vision (see page 18). The property is adjacent to and near more than 3,500 acres of other conservation lands, including Aiken Pasture Town Forest, Bradford Bog, Low State Forest, and the Forest Society’s Andrews and Jones conservation easements and Wenny-Baker Forest on Thompson Hill. “The property is a part of one of the largest remaining areas of intact, interconnected, ecologically significant forests south of the White Mountains,” states Jack Savage, president of the Forest Society. “It has always been on our radar and finally persistence has won out.” The Rydstrom Family Forest is primarily a mixed northern hardwood forest type with lesser amounts of white pine, hemlock, and spruce, and it has more than 118 acres of wetlands and several small streams. The forest was logged extensively between 1996 and 2000 and has seen some additional commercial firewood cutting over the last few years. There is a network of 3.5 miles
of improved woods roads providing good access throughout the property. “Having walked much of this property over the last ten years, working to find a conservation solution, I am excited that this property is now permanently conserved,” states Andy Deegan, land protection specialist with Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust. “The Forest Society will be good stewards of the Rydstrom Family Forest, an extremely important wildlife corridor which connects many other important conservation properties.”
Lorin Rydstrom, a Forest Society board member for 9 years and a member of the Forest Society’s Forestry Committee, passed away in September 2024. He spent his whole life working in the lumber industry and was an outdoor enthusiast devoted to land conservation. With a generous donation from the Rydstrom family and a grant from an anonymous foundation, the Forest Society purchased the property for its permanent protection, creating the Rydstrom Family Forest.
Rydstrom Family Forest Bradford & Hillsborough 1,328 +/- ac. Washington Washington
Stoddard Stoddard
Marlow Marlow
Jobs, Health, Water, Wildlife: The Payoffs of Open Space
By Matt Leahy
Open space is important to New Hampshire’s quality of life. This is as true in 2025 as it was when the Forest Society launched New Hampshire Everlasting in 2001. It matters ecologically. It matters economically. It matters culturally. This simple yet definitive message is the top takeaway from a recently released report on the benefits of open space in our state. And the partners who funded the report—The Forest Society, New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, The Nature Conservancy, NH Audubon, the Statewide Program of Action to Conserve our Environment (SPACE), NH Association of Conservation Commissions, and the NH Land Trust Coalition—intend for this document to be easily accessible to the public.
The partners’ overarching goal for the report is to have it widely disseminated, cited, and quoted whenever the topics of conservation, open space, and environmental protection are raised. In short, this report is not meant to be left on a shelf and forgotten! Nor should it be.
Imagine if places like the White Mountain National Forest, Monadnock State
Park, or Mount Major Reservation didn’t exist. Now think about the communities that rely on these places. How would they be impacted? The connection between the protection of open spaces and community vitality is compelling. This relationship can be seen throughout the tourism, outdoor recreation, forestry, and agriculture sectors. Furthermore, conserved lands provide valuable natural services, including air pollution removal, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat as well as lowered community costs. Land conservation saves municipalities money through avoided costs on expensive infrastructure, especially on drinking water source protection projects.
It is not a controversial statement to say that people want to live in a place that is healthy, offers outdoor recreation opportunities, and is vibrant and livable. Not coincidentally, the benefits of conservation are the same benefits those who in live in New Hampshire cherish the most when they describe what makes the state special. That is why much of the promotional materials used to market
The Benefits of New Hampshire’s Open Space
Key findings of this report include:
• The forest products industry contributes $2.5 billion in output and 12,800 jobs.
• Farmland supports 7,940 jobs and produces more than $500 million in economic value.
• Outdoor recreation, from hunting and hiking to snowmobiling, accounts for 32,000 jobs.
• Conserved lands in a single watershed saved more than $40 million in water treatment costs over 10 years.
New Hampshire as a travel and vacation destination use beautiful photos and videos of the mountains, water bodies, and forests. It’s why thousands of people visit Lost River every summer. It’s also why The Rocks has become a year-round destination for hiking, weddings, and holiday traditions.
New Hampshire has a great story to tell about how open and undeveloped spaces are making a tangible difference in our state. We hope—and urge—everyone to review the report and cite it whenever possible. You can be part of the ongoing effort to promote the importance of open space and the need to protect it.
Matt Leahy is the public policy director for the Forest Society.
Learn More:
To read the report and learn more, visit forestsociety.org/openspace.
A family explores a cavern at Lost River in North Woodstock.
We thank our business partners for their generous support.
Summit Circle ($5,000 and up)
Athletic Brewing Company
Badger, Peabody & Smith Realty, Inc.
Garnet Hill Inc.
Gates Industrial Corporation
Mainstay Technologies
Merrimack County Savings Bank
Nathan Wechsler & Company
OnX Maps
Seaboard International Forest Products, LLC
Whalen Public & Media Relations, LLC
Trustees’ Circle ($2,500 to $4,999)
Littleton Food Coop
Mallory Portraits
Meredith Village Savings Bank
Newburyport Bank
Northeast Delta Dental
Northland Forest Products, Inc.
The Secret Agency, LLC
St. Mary’s Bank
President’s Circle ($1,000 to $2,499)
Aesthetic Dental Center
BCM Environmental & Land Law, PLLC
Bensonwood & Unity Homes
CheckmateHCM Solutions
Chinburg Properties
EOS Research Ltd.
Frog Hollow Forestry
Froling Energy
Lumbard & Kellner, LLC
Meredith Village Savings Bank
New England Private Wealth Advisors, LLC
NH Conservation Real Estate
Ransmeier & Spellman, P.C.
Rockywold-Deephaven Camps, Inc.
Savings Bank of Walpole
Upstream Tech
Steward ($750 to $999)
Exterus Business Furniture
Law Office of Leonard D. Harden
TMS Diesel North
Partner ($500 to $749)
Arcomm Communications Corporation
R.C. Brayshaw & Company
Brookdale Fruit Farm
W. S. Badger Company
Blue Mountain Forest Association
Brookdale Fruit Farm
Capitol Craftsman, LLC
Durgin and Crowell Lumber Co., Inc.
FedPoint
Half Moon Enterprises
The Lyme Timber Company LP
Meadowsend Timberlands Limited
Milestone Construction LLC
Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc.
The Music Mill
Pine Springs
R.M. Piper, Inc.
RSP Studio
Leigh B. Starer, LLC
Whole Wealth Management, LLC
Colleague ($250 to $499)
Banyan Global
Blaktop, Inc.
Dublin Road Tap Room & Eatery
Frost Pond Carpentry
Gideon Asen LLC
Grappone Management Company
Hammond Lumber Company
Hancock Lumber
Innovative Natural Resource Solutions, LLC
Kel-Log, Inc.
Kozikowski Properties, LLC
Maxfield Real Estate
Mediation Partners of New England, LLC
Mulligan Forest, LLC
Northeast Forest Services
Office of Michael M. Ransmeier, PC
Old Mill Properties, LLC
Pembroke Automotive Services
Portsmouth Paddle Board Company, LLC
Proctor Hill Forestry and Logging, LLC
Rek’-Lis Brewing Company
Robbins Lumber
Samyn d’Elia Architects, PA
Seven Birches Winery
Seven C’s Inc.
Toadstool Bookshops
Colleague
(continued)
Tri-State Iron Works, Inc.
Twin State Sand and Gravel Co., Inc.
Underhill Acres, Inc.
Viking Forest Products
Winnipesaukee Chocolates
Yankee Publishing, Inc.
Zachary Berger Associates, Ltd.
Matching Gift Companies
ADP, LLC
Advent International
American Biltrite, Inc.
Amgen, Inc.
Bank of America
Bank of New Hampshire
Boston Scientific
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
The Cigna Group
Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation, Inc.
Davis Polk & Wardwell, LLP
Dell, Inc.
Erie Insurance
Gartner, Inc.
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Google, LLC
Gradient
Hearst Communications, Inc.
Intel Corporation
Jacobs Solutions, Inc.
Jefferies Financial Group, Inc.
Johnson & Johnson
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Lincoln Financial Group
Macy’s, Inc.
Manulife Financial Corporation
Microsoft Corporation
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
NetApp, Inc.
Prudential Financial, Inc.
Raytheon Technologies Corporation
Shell Oil Company
Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.
The Travelers Companies, Inc.
UnitedHealth Group
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
VMware, Inc.
We are grateful to the many businesses that support the Forest Society with gifts of less than $250.
The Forest Society…Where Conservation and Business Meet
For information about business memberships, sponsorships, or to initiate a gift membership program for your clients or employees, please contact Anne Truslow at (603) 224-9945 or atruslow@forestsociety.org.
Help Improve our Merrimack River Floodplain Trail A New All Persons Trail to the River
By Anne Truslow
The Forest Society’s Merrimack River Outdoor Education and Conservation Area, fondly known as The Floodplain, hosts a variety of unique natural features, resident and migratory wildlife, and a diverse array of community users. The location was formed by centuries of the Merrimack River meandering and changing its course with the surges of spring snowmelt in the White Mountains, hurricane floods as with Gloria in 2005, and the natural movement of a big river with oxbows and silty sandy banks. In the time since the Forest Society established its Conservation Center headquarters here in 1980, the path of the river has changed significantly, with oxbows forming and closing, feet of erosion carving away the riverbank, and also the resurgence of beavers, bank swallows, and bald eagles.
Located in East Concord and tucked in to the historic Eastman Street village where it meets Portsmouth Street, the main trailhead at The Floodplain is just a few turns from Exit 16 off Route 93— yet it can feel a world away. Located amid the residential neighborhoods of the Heights, neighbors and frequent visitors bring a range of experiences, abilities, and interests in the outdoors. The Les Clark Nature Trail travels from the main trail entrance on Portsmouth Street to the banks of the Merrimack River, splitting off along the way with trails that follow the winding course of Mill Brook in parallel to the river until their confluence.
On a quick walk to the river, you may pass energetic senior hikers—often from nearby Havenwood Heritage Heights— trail runners, dog walkers, parents pushing stroller-loads of kids and gear,
Forest Society volunteers hauling water to care for transplanted mulberry trees, or Forest Society Senior Director of Education Dave Anderson leading a class of middle schoolers from Broken Ground School, just up the road. If you are out there early in the day, you might catch a glimpse of Forest Society Volunteer of the Year, Ellen Kenny, who translates her morning walks into beautiful paintings and photos of wildlife and nature scenes of The Floodplain.
Currently, a pine plantation, planted decades ago, forms a dense and orderly grove. In his younger years, my own border collie loved to slalom through these perfectly straight rows of trees. Today, it is nearly impenetrable but helps to stabilize the shifting and easily erodible
soils. This combination of soft soils and consistent recreational use has led to the exposure of roots and ruts in the trail, as boots scuff through on dusty days and squash down in muddy times, creating an obstacle course for the ankles.
After many years of preparation, this fall, the Forest Society’s stewardship staff will launch a major trail improvement project on the main trail from the parking area to the river. Carefully planned to avoid impact on sensitive wildlife species, the project will take place in October and November 2025 with a professional trailbuilder and oversight by Forest Society Stewardship Projects Manager Dylan Summers.
The goal of the project is to improve accessibility by creating a wide and level treadway with hard-packed material that
Students from Concord’s Broken Ground School help plant mulberry trees on The Floodplain.
also helps drain water away from the trail, reducing runoff and erosion along Mill Brook and adjacent wetland areas. This all persons trail will provide a better experience for strollers, walkers, wheelchairs, and runners, and will stand up to heavy use over time. Accessible benches at overlooks along the trail will offer spots to rest and observe the river and the flora and fauna.
The new trail will cover about 1,250 feet in total, following the existing trail line, and will be built to accessibility standards consistent with the U.S. Forest Service’s Trail Accessibility Guidelines. We hope that this will be the first phase, with more trail enhancements to come. The total project cost is anticipated at $95,000, including contractors, materials, staff time, and stewardship. Fortunately, the New Hampshire Recreational Trails Program has awarded a grant of $49,865 that will be matched by grants from the Davis Conservation Foundation, Athletic
Brewing Company’s Two for the Trails grant program, and annual support from our Floodplain sponsors, Merrimack County Savings Bank and Northeast Delta Dental. Now, the Forest Society must raise just $15,000 to fully fund this project!
Name:
Address:
Please consider making a gift to support this important trail improvement project! We hope to continue learning and investing in making our properties welcoming and available to all.
LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FLOODPLAIN ALL PERSONS TRAIL PROJECT.
Town/City: State Zip:
Telephone: Email:
Enclosed is my tax-deductible contribution of $ _________ VISA MasterCard Number:
Please mail the completed form to:
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, NH 03301
Donate online at forestsociety.org/allpersonstrail For more information, call Anne Truslow at 603-224-9945 or email atruslow@forestsociety.org.
Thank you for your help!
SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FORESTS
54 Portsmouth Street
Concord, NH 03301-5400
Address Service Requested
Please join us for the 124th Annual Meeting SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 • NEW LONDON, NH
Mount Kearsarge.
LOCATION: Colby Sawyer College, Wheeler Hall 541 Main Street, New London, NH
FIELD TRIPS:
1. Spring Ledge Farm and Messer Farm Walking Tour, New London
2. Project in Progress: Visit to Mount Kearsarge, Warner
3. Forests and History at the Hay Forest, Newbury
4. Explore the Langenau Forest, Wilmot
MEETING SCHEDULE:
8:30–11:30 a.m. Field trips (times vary by trip)
11:30 a.m. Registration opens at Wheeler Hall Noon Lunch
1:00 p.m. Business Meeting, Awards, and Recognitions
2:00 p.m. Formative Experiences: How Forest Society Internships Shape Career and Life Paths
COST: $55/person (includes field trips, lunch, and program)
For last-minute registration, please contact Linda Damman at 603-224-9945 ext. 325 or ldammann@forestsociety.org.
