Selectboard reviews draft management plan for town-owned Seth Hill parcel

Kristen Underwood and Carolyn Dash of the Bristol Conservation Commission presented a draft management plan for the town-owned Seth Hill parcel, which the Commission said was acquired in 1905 and is enrolled in the state current use program. The parcel is leased for maple tapping and the draft plan covers existing conditions, history, ecological setting and recommended actions for long-term stewardship.

The Commission and Selectboard focused on erosion along historic logging access roads. Underwood said Vermont Family Forests installed broad-based dips under a 2024 grant to reduce sediment reaching streams and the New Haven River; board members and leaseholders have since raised access concerns. Peeker Heffernan said the resulting road condition was "more of a 'closeout' than a functional road," and the draft plan will be revised to recommend working with appropriate partners — Vermont Family Forests, the U.S. Forest Service and the leaseholder — to pursue remediation rather than naming a single responsible contractor. The plan will serve as a living document to be updated every five to seven years.