Friends of Oak Hill Newsletter #4
The logging is well underway with the current area of focus on the parts of the project owned by Hanover Improvement Society (Storrs Pond). Our forester, Jeff Smith of Butternut Hollow Forestry is pleased with the work being completed by Boscawen, NH-based Whyte’s Logging, although the current warming trend is unwelcome for skiers and loggers alike. While the trail work associated with the Oak Hill project is the catalyst for this logging, much of the cutting in the lower section is being done for safety and forest health reasons. Many of the trees, especially the white pines, are in poor health and threaten to drop limbs or tops during storms and high winds. In particular, the work near the Storrs Pond campsites and recreational areas has been under consideration for safety reasons for several years. Although the site is not pretty during logging, the loggers will do their best to clean up the work once logging is complete.
Several pictures below show some of the work. We encourage you to share news of the logging with others along with the important context that some of this work needed to be done even in the absence of our project.
Other work continues. Dartmouth has already reached the target for its portion of fundraising. Permitting is on track. Construction planning is well underway. As noted in the last newsletter, we are beginning the process of searching for a general manager with ski operations experience. If anyone has thoughts on the search process, or on potential candidates, please share them with the team.
Meanwhile, if you have friends who would like to donate to support the project, encourage them to visit our website.
Peter Milliken
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