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Bottle Brook falls, timber harvest update
I am re-posting this photo to provide an update on the planned timber harvest by Prentiss & Carlisle at Bottle Brook falls. See my photo posts on December 12th for the original report.
My e-mail to Prentiss & Carlisle's operations division generated no response. More recently, Gerry Whiting of the Appalachian Mountain Club contacted Prentiss & Carlisle by phone, on behalf of the Piscataquis Tourism Development Authority. Gerry was unable to obtain any commitment other than to "comply with the letter of the law" in conducting the planned timber harvest at this location. "Letter of the law" can mean aggressive cutting to within 25 feet of the brook, with additional selective cutting within the 25 foot stream protection area.
P&C is understandably reluctant to defer its harvest based on a single phone call. P&C both owns and manages timberland, and may be managing this parcel for another owner.
With that said, I remain convinced that the trees on this small (5 to 10 acre) parcel, due to their proximity to a very scenic waterfall with easy road access, ultimately have far higher value as part of a conservation easement than as cut timber. In other words, on this particular parcel, a hard cut will constitute poor land management.
What the actual cut will look like remains to be seen. That decision will be in the hands of Prentiss & Carlisle's forester overseeing the harvest. If the harvest is as aggressive as the Maine Forest Practices Act allows and replicates the prior harvest south of Bottle Brook, the quality of this waterfall will be significantly degraded, without an opportunity to first have it evaluated for potential conservation easement acquisition as a local tourism resource.
Without being confrontational, if you happen to have personal contacts at Prentiss & Carlisle, you may want to call to express your views.
Taken in Kingsbury Plantation, Piscataquis County Maine.
Bottle Brook falls, timber harvest update
I am re-posting this photo to provide an update on the planned timber harvest by Prentiss & Carlisle at Bottle Brook falls. See my photo posts on December 12th for the original report.
My e-mail to Prentiss & Carlisle's operations division generated no response. More recently, Gerry Whiting of the Appalachian Mountain Club contacted Prentiss & Carlisle by phone, on behalf of the Piscataquis Tourism Development Authority. Gerry was unable to obtain any commitment other than to "comply with the letter of the law" in conducting the planned timber harvest at this location. "Letter of the law" can mean aggressive cutting to within 25 feet of the brook, with additional selective cutting within the 25 foot stream protection area.
P&C is understandably reluctant to defer its harvest based on a single phone call. P&C both owns and manages timberland, and may be managing this parcel for another owner.
With that said, I remain convinced that the trees on this small (5 to 10 acre) parcel, due to their proximity to a very scenic waterfall with easy road access, ultimately have far higher value as part of a conservation easement than as cut timber. In other words, on this particular parcel, a hard cut will constitute poor land management.
What the actual cut will look like remains to be seen. That decision will be in the hands of Prentiss & Carlisle's forester overseeing the harvest. If the harvest is as aggressive as the Maine Forest Practices Act allows and replicates the prior harvest south of Bottle Brook, the quality of this waterfall will be significantly degraded, without an opportunity to first have it evaluated for potential conservation easement acquisition as a local tourism resource.
Without being confrontational, if you happen to have personal contacts at Prentiss & Carlisle, you may want to call to express your views.
Taken in Kingsbury Plantation, Piscataquis County Maine.