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US Forest Service opens 30-day comment period on Lost River project near Woodstock
Summary
The White Mountain National Forest on Tuesday described a multi-part proposal for timber and vegetation management, recreation site changes and road work in the Lost River area and said the draft environmental assessment is open for 30 days of public comment.
The U.S. Forest Service’s White Mountain National Forest on Tuesday presented the draft Lost River Integrated Resource Project, a multi-component proposal that would affect timber stands, wildlife habitat, roads and recreational sites near state routes 112 and 118 in the Woodstock area, and opened a 30-day public comment period ending May 14.
The project “is a proposal for, an integrated resource project that will support recreation, forestry, and wildlife habitat,” said Ryan Toomey, the district recreation manager filling in for District Ranger Brooke Brown. Scott Hall, the project planner and team leader, told the selectboard the comment window closes on Wednesday, May 14, at 11:59:59 p.m. and said residents can comment electronically or by mailing comments to Brooke Brown.
The draft environmental assessment (EA) lays out several major components: about 1,100 acres of vegetation management (with a mix of partial cuts, not wholesale clearcuts); relocation and redesign of some campsites at Elbow Pond; decommissioning of the Gordon Pond hiking trail; reconstruction, classification and decommissioning of forest roads; and installation of two gates and a half-mile realignment of Elbow Pond Road.
Forest staff described how veg management would vary by unit and objective. “We're not talking about cutting trees in all 1,100 of those acres,” Toomey said, adding that some units would remove only a portion of trees to create early-successional habitat for neotropical songbirds and deer. The draft EA and supporting specialist reports, including biological evaluations, are posted on the project website, Hall said.
On recreation, Toomey highlighted a proposal to remove lakeside campsites within 100 feet of Elbow Pond to protect riparian habitat and water quality and to reduce congestion at the pond’s popular day-use and boat-launch areas. The Forest Service would establish designated, signed campsites (no more undesignated proliferation) and proposes to relocate up to 17 sites to Forest Road 156G and other higher, drier locations; Toomey said the agency does not expect to build all 17 but would disperse sites between the roads.
Asked about monitoring and enforcement, Toomey said the Forest Service would rely on roving patrols and that Woodstock police “drive by there,” and the town’s presence helps enforcement; volunteers and staff would also patrol. For Gordon Pond, the Forest Service proposes to stop investing federal funds for maintenance and to decommission the trail because an alternative route (Kinsman Ridge Trail) provides access.
Transportation work in the EA includes about 5.2 miles of road reconstruction (drainage, ditching, surfacing), 2.8 miles of road classification (bringing existing but not adopted roads into the Forest Service system) and 9.7 miles of road decommissioning (roads left on the landscape when the land was acquired or previously built but not retained). The package also proposes two gates and a half-mile realignment of Elbow Pond Road to move the road upslope from a wet beaver area.
On timber timing and implementation, Hall said the timber sales are expected to go out for bid in fall 2027 and that the overall implementation of Lost River could take about five to 10 years. Recreation improvements are “really dependent on funding,” Toomey said. The Forest Service is also considering a lower-cost alternative for Elbow Pond — improving culverts rather than relocating the road — to reduce beaver-related summer damage.
The Forest Service is not proposing whole-tree harvest; slash would remain on site, and harvest methods would be bole-only where specified. Hall noted copies of the draft EA and supporting documents are available on the project web page and that public commenters will be eligible to file objections during the administrator-review phase after a final EA and draft decision are issued.
Residents asked procedural and access questions during the presentation — including parking at Alba Park, whether decommissioned trails would be physically closed or allowed to revegetate, and whether timber sales would be split among contractors. Toomey said parking would not be expanded for winter use, decommissioned trails would be left to re-vegetate, and Lost River timber is likely to be offered as three separate sales so multiple contractors could win work.
How to comment: Hall said the project web page includes a comment form, the draft EA and the “reading room” that lists letters submitted so far; he also offered paper copies of the draft EA at the meeting. Comments received during the 30-day window will be considered as the Forest Service prepares a final EA and draft decision.
Next steps: after the comment period closes, the Forest Service will prepare a final EA and a draft decision and begin the administrator-review/objection period; members of the public who submitted comments will be eligible to object to the draft decision if they tie objections to issues they raised during the comment period.
