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Acknowledgements Acknowledgements The Agency of Natural Resources wishes to express gratitude to the many people who supported and contributed to the development of this plan. They include first of all the citizens who took time out of their busy personal and professional lives to participate in the public involvement process. Special thanks go to the Town of Westmore and Lyndon State College for providing a facility for hosting the public informational meetings. Writing of the plan was accomplished and facilitated by a collaborative effort from all three departments within the Agency of Natural Resources: Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation Department of Fish and Wildlife Department of Environmental Conservation Other State of Vermont organizations that contributed to the development of this plan include: Giovanna Peebles, Vermont Division for Historic Preservation Contractors that contributed to this plan include: Dorothy Allard, consulting forest ecologist John Deleo, Lyndon State College, GIS Program Douglas Frink and Charity Baker, Archaeology Consulting Team, Inc. Financial resources for the production of this plan were made possible through: Vermont Housing and Conservation Board Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Willoughby State Forest Long-Range Management Plan April 2004 ST. JOHNSBURY DISTRICT STATE LANDS STEWARDSHIP TEAM MEMBERS AND OTHER STAFF Gary Sabourin, Project Team Leader Cedric Alexander, Wildlife Biologist Jeff Briggs, State Lands Forester Louis Bushey, Forestry Specialist Susan Bulmer, Parks Regional Manager Leonard Gerardi, Fisheries Biologist Richard Greenwood, State Lands Forester Paul Hamelin, Fish &Wildlife Technician Linda Henzel, ANR State Land Stewardship Coordinator Ellen Hinman, Administrative Assistant James Horton, District Forestry Manager Matthew Langlais, Forestry Specialist Neil Monteith, State Lands Forester Leif Richardson, State Lands Ecologist David Willard, Stewardship Forester Willoughby State Forest Long-Range Management Plan April 2004 LONG-RANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN WILLOUGHBY STATE FOREST TABLE OF CONTENTS Section I - Introduction Overview of Lands Management by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources ............................. 1 Plan Structure ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Mission Statements Which Have Guided the Development of This Plan .......................................... 4 Section II – Parcel Description Location/Size/Biophysical Setting ..................................................................................................... 5 Natural Features ................................................................................................................................. 5 History of Acquisition........................................................................................................................ 6 History of Land Use Management ..................................................................................................... 7 Relationship to Town and Regional Plans ......................................................................................... 8 State Locator/Biophysical Region Map (Figure 1) ............................................................................ 9 Area Base Map (Figure 2) .................................................................................................................. 10 Future Acquisition/Disposition .......................................................................................................... 11 Section III – Summary of Public Involvement.................................................................. 12 Section IV – Management Strategies and Actions Land Classification............................................................................................................................. 13 Land Classification Categories for ANR Land................................................................................... 13 Land Use Classification Map (Figure 3) ............................................................................................ 14 Management Priorities........................................................................................................................ 15 Management Prescriptions by Land Classification Category............................................................. 15 Duck Pond/Blake Pond Recreation Area Map (Figure 4) .................................................................. 27 Timber Harvesting Schedule Map (Figure 5)..................................................................................... 34 Willoughby State Forest Long-Range Management Plan April 2004 South-End Intensive Use Area Map (Figure 6).................................................................................. 36 Public Access ..................................................................................................................................... 41 Management Prescriptions by Resource Category............................................................................. 44 Section V – Monitoring and Evaluation ............................................................................ 53 Section VI – Appendices...................................................................................................... 54 A. Assessments o Ecological.................................................................................................... 55 Bedrock Geology Map (Figure 7) ............................................................... 56 Natural Communities Map (Figure 8) ......................................................... 60 Wildlife Habitat Map (Figure 9) ................................................................. 78 o Timber ......................................................................................................... 85 Timber Assessment Map (Figure 10).......................................................... 86 o Recreation.................................................................................................... 90 o Public Access..............................................................................................101 Public Access Map (Figure 11)...................................................................102 o Lakes and Ponds Accessibility....................................................................108 Lakes and Ponds Accessibility Map (Figure 12).........................................109 o Fisheries and Water Resources....................................................................114 o Historical .....................................................................................................130 Historic Period Resources Map (Figure 13)................................................132 o Legal Constraints.........................................................................................136 Legal Constraints Map (Figure 14) .............................................................138 B. Public Involvement ..................................................................................................139 C. Management Guidelines...........................................................................................169 D. Authorization to Plan and Manage...........................................................................175 E. Summary of Policies and Guidelines .......................................................................176 F. Glossary....................................................................................................................179 Willoughby State Forest Long-Range Management Plan April 2004 SECTION I Introduction Overview of Lands Management by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Purposes of Land Ownership On behalf of the State of Vermont, the Agency of Natural Resources manages state-owned land for a variety of purposes, ranging from the protection of important natural resources to public uses of the land in appropriate places. Natural resources include, but are not limited to, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, natural communities, water bodies, wetlands, undeveloped land, scenery, and aesthetic values. Public uses include, but are not limited to, recreation, access to state lands or waters, environment-related businesses, flood control, education, research, and sustainable use of renewable resources such as hunting, fishing, trapping, and forest management. Outcome of Long Range Management Plans The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources manages state lands in a sustainable manner by considering all aspects of the ecosystem and all uses of the natural resources. (Agency Strategic Plan 2001-2005) The agency has a mandate to serve as the principal land steward for properties owned or managed by its three departments—Environmental Conservation; Fish and Wildlife; and Forests, Parks and Recreation. The development of long-range management plans (LRMP) for agency lands represents a key step in providing responsible stewardship of these valued public assets. Each LRMP identifies areas where different uses are to be allowed and describes how these uses will be managed to ensure protection of natural resources. The following over-arching management standards further both agency and department missions and are applied to the development of long-range management plans for all ANR lands. Biological Diversity: Agency lands are managed to both maintain and enhance the variety and abundance of plants,
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