Nash Stream Forest MANAGEMENT PLAN State of New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development 1995 050 Nash Stream Forest FOREWORD The Nash Stream Forest is a unique parcel of land in Northern New Hampshire. Its acquisi- tion in 1988, through a collaborative effort between the state of New Hampshire Land Conservation Investment Program, the U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for New Hampshire Lands, and The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is equally unique, and serves as a milestone in state, private and federal cooperation. The diversity of the groups represented in this effort is almost as great as the diversity of resources that exists within the Nash Stream Forest and the topography of the land itself. Yet over an eighteen-month period, representatives from each of these groups worked together, to negotiate an arrangement which all felt was in the best interest of the land and the people who use it. All of the groups involved in the purchase and future management of the Nash Stream Forest recognized the importance of protecting the Forest from development, as well as the importance of continuing to use the land in a "multiple-use" manner—for education and research, as a key watershed area, for fish and wildlife, recreation, scenic qualities, and as a sustainable timber resource. These mutual concerns led to the successful purchase of the property, the formation of a Technical Team to assist in the development of a management plan, and to a gubernatorial-appointed Advisory Committee to focus public input and pro- vide insightful advice (see page 9). The Nash Stream Advisory Committee determined that the Nash Stream Management Plan serve as a model of public land stewardship realizing that the funding necessary to fully implement the Plan is not presently available in state government. Therefore, the Committee recommended that the Plan be implemented, to the extent possible, in order to achieve the Forest condition described in the Vision (see page 61) as soon as possible. The Plan identifies more than 60 implementation requirements that range from basic boundary line and road maintenance to specially designed studies and scientific monitor- ing. These requirements will provide the basis for work plans to be carried out within the limits of available resources. The Department of Resources and Economic Development and the Division of Forests and Lands is extremely grateful to the members of the Advisory Committee and Technical Team who collectively donated more than 1000 hours of time to this project. Without their dedica- tion and interest this state-of-the-art plan would never have been completed. John E. Sargent NH State Forester c Nash Stream Forest TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD HIGHLIGHTS 1 1. THE HASH STREAM FOREST 1 Introduction History/Acquisition 3 Why the State Purchased the Nash Stream Forest 4 Conservation Easement 5 General Provisions 5 Uses Allowed, Not Allowed 7 Timber Management Constraints 7 Role of State and Federal Governments 8 Laws Affecting the Nash Stream Forest 8 Chronology/Planning Process 9 Work Plan 11 12 2. THE RESOURCE HISTORY OF THE NASH STREAM Soil and Vegetation 12 Soil Development 12 Vegetation 12 Cultural 13 Land Use and Ownership 14 Forest Protection 14 Forest Fire Protection 14 Insect and Disease 14 Law Enforcement 14 Logging 15 Recreation 17 Hiking 17 Fishing, Hunting and Trapping 18 Snowmobiling 18 Camping and Camp Lot Leases 18 Fisheries 18 Wildlife 20 (continued on next page) 050 Nash Stream Forest 3. INVENTORY AND SITUATION 21 Reserved Rights 21 Power Line Easement—Public Service Company of New Hampshire 21 Canadian National Railroad 21 Public Highways 21 Miscellaneous Reservations 21 Gravel 21 Camp Lot Leases 22 Recreation Camp Lots 22 Roads and Access 23 Timber Resources 25 Forest Composition 26 Forest Structure 26 Seedling and Sapling Size Classes 26 Poletimber Size Class 27 Sawtimber Size Class 27 Timber Volume and Quality 27 Growth and Stocking 28 Areas of Ecological Concern 29 Water Resources 31 Fisheries Resources 31 Ponds 31 Streams 33 Wildlife Habitats and Species 34 Ponds, Streams, and Wetlands 34 Upland Forest 35 Other Habitat Features 38 Wildlife Present 39 Threatened and Endangered Species and Other Species of Management Concern 41 Species of Management Concern 42 Neotropical Migrants 47 Implications of Present Stand Composition and Age Structure 47 Recreation Resources 49 Snowmobiling 49 Hiking 50 Other Trail Uses 50 Hunting and Fishing 50 Recreation Access 50 (continued on next page) c Nash Stream Forest 51 Soils, Landscapes and Ecological Land Groups 55 Cultural Resources 55 Forest Protection Resources 55 Forest Fire Prevention 55 Presuppression 56 Detection 56 Suppression 58 Insect and Disease 58 Law Enforcement Economic Considerations 58 State and Federal Land Reimbursements 58 Forest Fire Suppression, Training and Prevention 59 Timber Harvests and Yield Taxes 59 OHRV Grant-in-Aid Program 60 Private Camp Lot Licenses 60 U.S. Forest Service Grants 60 61 4. THE MANAGEMENT VISION Management Vision 61 Management Principles 61 Goals of Management 62 Timber 62 Natural Areas 63 Recreation 63 Fish and Wildlife 64 Public Participation 64 Monitoring, Research and Interpretation 64 5. MANAGEMENT DIRECTION 65 Goals, Objectives and Strategies 65 Stewardship 65 Public Involvement 67 Cultural Resources 68 Recreation Resources 68 Areas of Ecological Significance 70 Wildlife Resources 70 Fisheries Resources 71 Timber Resources 72 Fisheries Management 75 Native vs. Wild Trout 75 Pond Management 75 Stream Management 76 (continued on next page) 050 Nash Stream Forest Management of Areas of Ecological Concern 76 Natural Preserves 77 Control Areas 78 Buffer Areas and Corridors 80 Other Protected Areas 81 Recreation Management. 81 Recreation Management Guidelines 82 Trails 82 Hiking 83 Snowmobiling 83 Other Trail Uses 84 Visual Quality 84 Recreation Access 84 Camping and Non-traditional Recreation 84 Education and Interpretation 85 Volunteerism 85 Nash Bog Dam 85 Wildlife Management 86 Habitat Protection and Management 87 Public Use of Wildlife 89 Population Assessment and Monitoring 90 Wildlife Reintroduction 91 Forest Protection Management 91 Prevention 91 Presuppression 92 Detection 93 Suppression 93 Insect and Disease 94 Law Enforcement 94 Boundary Maintenance 95 Procedure and Schedule 96 Cultural Resources Management 96 Timber Management 96 Conservation Easement and Timber Management 98 No Harvest Areas 98 Restrictions on Clearcutting and Logging Near Streams 99 Sustained Yield Management 99 Available Forest Land 100 Areas Suitable for Timber Management 100 Ecological Land Capabilities 100 Species Composition and Distribution 100 (continued on next page) 050 Nash Stream Forest 103 Soil/Site Capabilities and Target Ages 104 Forest Structure Trend Stand Management and Natural Regeneration Patterns 104 105 Silvicultural Practices Water Quality and Timber Harvesting 105 Visual Quality and Timber Harvesting 106 Cooperative Management and Resource Integration 106 Cooperative Land Management Committee 106 State Land Management Team 109 Citizen Advisory Committee 110 Camp Lot License Management 110 Private Camp Termination 111 License Considerations 111 Acquisition of In-holdings and Outstanding Rights 112 Roads and Access Management 112 Vehicle Access and Gates 112 Maintenance 113 Gravel Use Policy 113 Management Guidelines 113 A. Cooperative Management 113 B. Cultural Resources 114 C. Pest Management 114 D. Recreation 115 E. Roads and Access 116 F. Natural Preserves 117 G. Timber 118 H. Threatened and Endangered Species 121 I. Riparian Zones 121 J. Wildlife 123 K. Fish 126 L. Fire 127 M. Lands 127 N. Law Enforcement 128 Public Use Guidelines 128 A. General 128 B. Research and Special Uses 129 C. Minerals 129 Monitoring and Evaluation 130 A Complete Monitoring Program 130 (continued on next page) cb Nash Stream Forest 6. GLOSSARY/FOOTNOTES/REFERENCES/ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 136 Glossary 136 Footnotes 149 References 151 Acknowledgments 154 7. APPENDIX 155 1 Newspaper Clippings 155 2 Group Summaries 157 3 Summary of Common Themes 159 4 Private Camp Lot License Policy 161 5 Road List By Class 163 6 Important Forest Soil Groups/Soil Units and Ecological Land Groups 165 7 Available Forest Land and Other Categories 172 8 Ecological Land Group Descriptions 174 9 Community Forest Fire Resources 177 10 Management and Protection Laws 181 050 Nash Stream Forest STATE OF NET HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF ROME AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA NASH STREAM FOREST: LOCATION MAP ititi: Fe crib". COMITY: C.., toasty ICUS: 71,111 Del: ipril 1103 MITI 30(11C13: CollsOld iy VI loparlayyt 0 vault., U3 virtu servie;, /!;:iii: 11:iliirTiell.:1'12 if irrilig,IiijilijiiInsil C.., IT: IIILTIls 1:711:tiiiIrtbiertriiboi'lliti, ::.1., :cfrpiles, us v rsity 0 MAP SCALE' 111.250.000 MASSACHUSET TS c Nash Stream Forest READER'S NOTE: To help readerS:payi ate through this hefty document, a detailed Table of on en the following Hi ights section are provided. A companion document, NashS4 News, which answers commonly asked questions is also available upon reque If you have comments or questions, or would like a copy of the Nash Stream 1.4 please. call the' of Forests and Lands in Concord, NH at (603)271-3456, o write to: Department of 1 00 ArrN: Nash StiiVam Forest Box 1856 Concord, NT-I