Forester outlines timber-harvest options as Oxford board weighs subdividing 48-acre parcel

Sam Blatchford, senior forester at Maine Chester Woodlands, told the Oxford Selectboard the company can perform a whole-tree harvest and site-preparation package that would remove trees 8 inches and larger, chip residual material and install best-management practices to mitigate erosion. He offered either pay-as-cut (stumpage) or a lump-sum prescription and estimated a two-week field schedule for a 48-acre harvest.

Why it matters: the parcel’s future—sale as-is, harvest to improve marketability, or town-led subdivision—affects potential tax revenue, sewer demand and infrastructure costs. Board members repeatedly emphasized the need for a conceptual subdivision plan and preliminary cost estimates (roads, water, sewer, utilities) before committing to site work or contractor selection.

Details from the presentation: Blatchford described Maine Chester Woodlands as a fully integrated firm with licensed foresters, mechanical harvesting crews, chippers that haul material to Livermore Falls and on-site excavation capacity. He said chipping and whole-tree harvests inevitably cause winter ruts but that the company installs BMPs and grading to reduce erosion risk. He offered to prepare a site-specific prescription and cost options ranging from a full-service (“Cadillac”) package to a more limited scope if the board preferred.

Board questions and planning: board members raised wastewater-plant hookup requirements and whether the town should require new lots to connect to sewer to increase users; members discussed possible subdivision approaches (residential in back, commercial frontage on Route 26) and reserving some lots for multifamily to boost sewer users. The Chair and Town manager said they would ask engineer Rob Pru for a conceptual subdivision plan and cost estimates for roads and utilities and tentatively scheduled a workshop for Feb. 5 (04:30 p.m.) to review conceptual plans and scope.

Next steps and constraints: the board asked staff to collect footage requirements that trigger mandatory sewer connection and to invite the engineer to the workshop. No contract award or harvesting decision was made at this session; the board will receive engineer cost estimates and contractor follow-up materials before any authorization.

Representative quote: "We can write you a check for the prescription, which would require removing everything 8 inches and up," Sam Blatchford said of the lump-sum option.

Ending: The board agreed to a workshop to examine conceptual plans and cost estimates once the engineer and contractor provide site-specific proposals.