Forestry Committee
A timber sale of an estimated quarter million board feet of sawlogs and 400 cords of pulpwood on the Waterford town forest was awarded to Andrew Ames of Waterford in August. The harvest projection made by consulting forester Bill Newcomb of Norway totaled 160,000 board feet of white pine, 65,000 of hemlock and 15,000 of spruce. For pulp, he expects 350 cords of pine, 40 cords of hemlock and 10 cords of hardwood.
A showing was held Sept. 2 for interested contractors. The bids were due Sept. 16 and the winner was selected by the Waterford Forest Management Committee. The project must be completed by March 15, 2011.
The harvest area encompasses about 20 acres on the north side of the Town Farm Road. The last harvest was conducted by Andrew Ames of Waterford and netted $7,250. Two major harvests in 2004 earned the town $71,000.
The town forest was set aside when the town was chartered. Records are sketchy on earlier harvests but the 1976 town history reports that a cutting on the town farm was authorized in 1951. Blowdown timber was harvested following the 1938 hurricane.
The total money from harvests conducted since the committee was formed in 1991 to rejuvenate management are listed below.
Waterford Forest Management Committee
Dale Barker
Sheldon Rice
Tim Sawyer