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Selectboard gives cautious green light to chestnut plantings, recommends delay on timber harvest
Summary
Conservation commission may plant American chestnuts in town preserves with oversight, while a proposed 2025 timber harvest was discussed but members recommended delaying until a fuller forest management plan and public context are developed.
The Selectboard granted the conservation commission permission to plant American chestnut saplings in designated preserve areas, but asked the commission to develop a short‑term plan describing locations, monitoring and long‑term management before wide planting.
Conservation commissioner Steve Flatt described a proposal to propagate American chestnuts on Branch Hill Farm and to try specimen plantings on town preserve lands; the commission said the planting would not cost the town money and that volunteers would monitor and maintain the young trees. Selectboard members supported the experiment in principle but asked the conservation commission to identify precise planting locations and to consider future land uses when siting trees.
Separately, the commission raised a potential timber harvest for 2025 in a back section of town preserve that could generate revenue with limited road work. Board members urged caution: several selectmen suggested postponing any major harvest by one to two years to allow the conservation commission to finalize a management plan, identify trail locations and ensure the harvest will not preclude future recreational uses. The board also suggested the commission present a clear map and public explanation before moving forward.
The board asked conservation to return with a defined planting plan for chestnuts, and to provide more detail and public outreach materials before authorizing any timber harvest.
