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The following article was in the Peterborough newspapers during the third week of November, 2000:
The town of Sharon has hired forester Swift Corwin to conduct a selective timber harvest in the approximately 1,000-acre Robert P. Bass Memorial Town Forest. Work will take place over three years and
will commence this winter. Funds from the timber harvest are slated to purchase more town forest.
Sharon administrators' commitment to use revenues from the town forest to purchase undeveloped land is based on the priority of preserving the town's rural character and natural
beauty. Currently, four land conservation groups (Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, New England Forestry Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and the Monadnock Conservancy) either own land in
Sharon or hold conservation easements on land owned by individuals who sell or donate development rights. Protected land brings many benefits to the town such as biodiversity, wildlife corridors and opportunities
for recreation Cost of Community Services studies elsewhere in the state have shown that open space costs less to the town than land that has residential development. Also, surrounding towns are interested
in linking to conserved land in Sharon with greenways and trails.
This is not the first time the Sharon town forest has been logged. The most recent timber harvest was in 1990-91, by the New England Forestry Foundation and based on their Forest Management Plan. In
1992, the town voted to support a balance between improving timber health, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities. In 1996, Sharon engaged Antioch New England Graduate School professor and
wildlife biologist Rick Van de Poll to conduct a Natural Resource Assessment of the forest and to provide guidance for the next timber harvest. Van de Poll's recommendations include maintaining a no-cut zone in
wetland and seepage areas, plus refraining from cutting in two areas of the forest that are beginning to show characteristics of old-growth.
The scheduled timber harvest in (2000-02) by Swift Corwin will follow the recommendations of the Town Forest Advisory Commission and will be principally a harvest of mature white pine. This
will clear the forest canopy, thereby encouraging regeneration on relatively high ground. Corwin will avoid wetlands and hiking trails, use minimal equipment, remove slash from trail views and otherwise follow the
State of New Hampshire's "Best Forest Management Practices." The goal, stated Town Forest Advisory Chairman Jim Martens, "is to maximize the revenue (while at the same time) minimize damage to the
ecological and aesthetic values of the forest."
For more information on the logging project, contact Martens at 924-7635. For questions regarding conservation easements in Sharon, contact Conservation Commission member Gina Goff, 924-6206.
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