Nature Conservancy Begins First Phase of Restoring Ossipee Pine Barrens

Work addresses dual role of safety and restoration.

Madison, N.H.—March 23, 2005—The Nature Conservancy has begun the first phase of ecological restoration in the Ossipee Pine Barrens, one of New Hampshire’s last intact examples of a pitch pine/scrub oak woodland.

Contractors for The Nature Conservancy began mechanical treatments this week on the Conservancy’s land in Tamworth, N.H., and next week will move operations to part of the Ossipee Pine Barrens Preserve in Madison. The Conservancy has hired Forest Land Improvement Inc., of Chocurua to manage the work being done this spring.

“This is the first phase of using mechanical treatments, at this stage primarily timber harvests, to reduce fuel loads and begin habitat restoration,” said Jeff Lougee, stewardship ecologist for The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire. “The two really go hand and hand. As we reduce the potential for crown fires by removing some of the timber, the added sunlight to the forest understory will enhance the productivity of scrub oak and other shrubs that provide critical habitat for the rare wildlife species we are trying to protect at the site. These treatments are also enabling us to remove decades of encroachment from fire intolerant species, like white pine and some hardwoods.”

Ossipee Pine Barrens mechanical treatement
A section of the Conservancy's Ossipee Pine Barrens recently treated with mechanical
harvesting to improve safety for nearby residents and restore pine barrens habitat.
Jeff Lougee photo.

The Ossipee Pine Barrens is a globally rare forest type found only in the northeastern United States. It harbors a diversity of uncommon wildlife, including nearly two dozen threatened and endangered moths and butterflies and several declining songbirds, such as whip-poor-will and brown thrasher.

Because of its importance for biodiversity, The Nature Conservancy has long identified the Ossipee Pine Barrens as a conservation priority. Since 1988, the Conservancy has protected 2,050 acres in the Ossipee Pine Barrens, most recently with an 84-acre purchase in December. The land lies in Freedom, Madison, Ossipee and Tamworth, and nearly half of it is pitch pine-scrub oak habitat.

Pitch pine/scrub oak woodlands depend on fire for their maintenance and regeneration. Historically, fires occurred in the Ossipee Pine Barrens every 25 to 50 years, far more frequently than other Northeast forest types. But because of improved fire suppression capabilities and changing land use patterns, fire has been virtually absent from the Ossipee Pine Barrens since the last big fire in 1957. The lack of fire since then has enabled fire-intolerant trees, (like white pine and some hardwoods) to gain a foothold, while pitch pine and scrub oak have declined. At the same time, the lack of fire has led to an accumulation of leaf litter, dead branches and limbs, drastically increasing the chance of a difficult to control wildfire.

After thorough research, The Nature Conservancy has launched a comprehensive project to restore and maintain the Ossipee Pine Barrens using a combination of mechanical management and carefully planned prescribed burns. This effort will both restore and maintain the Ossipee Pine Barrens habitat and help reduce the current wildfire hazard.

This spring’s mechanical work is the first phase of this project. Forest Land Improvement Inc. started this week on 15 acres of Conservancy land on the eastern side of Tamworth. There they have been harvesting white pine and some hardwoods to release pitch pine and other pine barrens plant species.

Next week, the contractors will likely move to the Conservancy’s West Branch Pine Barrens land off Route 41. There they will harvest timber and mow scrub oak to create a 500-foot wide fire safety buffer to protect homes on East Shore Drive. That work will also restore pine barrens habitat by mimicking the effects of fire. Forest Land Improvement will likely complete its work there by mid-May.

By next year, the Conservancy will begin the next phase of restoration efforts with some limited-scale prescribed burns on the preserve. That work will follow a detailed burn plan and will only be conducted when there is a combination of the right weather conditions and necessary trained personnel and equipment. The Conservancy will work with many trained partners, including local and state firefighters, and staff from the Conservancy and White Mountain National Forest.

The Nature Conservancy has prepared a brochure about its efforts to restore the Ossipee Pine Barrens. For a copy, visit www.nature.org/newhampshire, or call 603-224-5853. To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s Fire Initiative, visit www.nature.org/initiatives.