The property offers a long-term timber investment opportunity dominated by northern hardwoods and spruce/fir species, with high stocking and, excellent quality timber stands. Asset appreciation will drive returns over the coming decade, with an attractive camp building opportunity and nearby snow mobile trail.
Property highlights include:
The forest is situated in the Northeast Kingdom town of Lunenburg which shares a border with New Hampshire and the Connecticut River. Much of the township is rural and dominated by a forested landscape where homes are widely dispersed except for clusters in some of its hamlets and along Neal Pond. Small farms are prominent along the Connecticut River.
Lunenburg Village is 5.5 miles from the property along Route 2 and includes a convenience store, post office, elementary school and town municipal buildings. The short drive to the village along Pond Road passes by occasional year round homes. Locally along Hall Road there are many camps.
Most residents commute to several nearby large towns for services and employment opportunities. Lancaster, New Hampshire, a vibrant community (population 3,360) is the closest, 10 miles to the east along the Connecticut and Israel Rivers. The town offers a full suite of amenities with an established downtown. Known as the Gateway to the Great North Woods, Lancaster also borders the rolling forested mountains of the Kilkenny Range of the White Mountain National Forest. Boston and Portland, Maine are each about a 2.5-hour drive to the south and southeast respectively.
Access is provided by Hall Road a Class 4, unmaintained town road and then by a legally deeded 50’ wide right of way (RoW) that is maintained by various adjacent landowners.
The Hall Road portion to the access is about 0.8 miles long and is in good condition. The +/-1 mile RoW access portion is also in good condition and routinely maintained by the neighbors along the road. The short RoW from the main road to the property runs in a westerly direction (the last leg of the access) and supports car access to the property’s small clearing located at the beginning of the land.
The site generally has a southerly aspect with the height of land (elevation of 1,900’) along the northern boundary. The property’s lowest elevation is 1,580’ at its southern end where the small stream leaves the land.
Terrain is mostly gently slopping with the northern end holding the more stepper slopes however, still easy to navigate. All the terrain can be traversed with mechanical harvesting equipment and is also ideal for recreational pursuits.
Soils are mostly well drained and productive, with soil depth becoming more shallow towards the southern end of the property where softwood species are more common.
One small seasonal stream runs north to south through the property, nearly bisecting the land. This stream is part of the headwaters of Hall Brook, a more significant stream that eventually runs into Neal Pond.
The land’s primary highest and best use is long term timber production, however the property does support constriction of a camp upon entering the property at its clearing.
Hall Brook Road and the property’s RoW access road serves as a VAST trail during the winter months, providing easy access to the land for snow mobiles. VAST is responsible for the organization of the sport of snowmobiling, maintaining and grooming over 5,000 miles of trails.
Timber data in this report are based on a comprehensive and monumented timber inventory completed in June of 2023 for the purpose of establishing Capital Timber Value (CTV). 36 inventory points were sampled (1 plot per 3.6 forested acres), covering a 415’ x 415’ grid using a 15-factor prism. Sampling statistics are ±30% standard error for sawlog products and ±13.7% for all products combined at the 95% confidence interval. The timber data reveal a total sawlog volume of 456 MBF International ¼” scale (3.5 MBF/acre), with 2,660 pulpwood cords (20.3 cords/acre). Combined total commercial per acre volume is 27.3 cords, a figure a bit above average for the region. Stumpage values were assigned to the volumes in June of 2023, producing a property-wide Capital Timber Value (CTV) of $134,200 ($1,024/acre). See the Timber Valuation in this report for details.
The species composition is dominated by hardwoods at 89% of total volume with softwoods at 12%. Species composition for all products combined mirrors that commonly found in the area, with sugar maple holding 47% of total volume, red spruce (32%), white ash (8%), yellow birch (6%), black cherry (3%), and miscellaneous hardwoods completing the profile.
Average diameter for all products combined is 11”, while the average sawlog diameter is 11.5”. Average diameter for the main specie of sugar maple is 13.0”. Generally, the forest has two primary age classes. The older age class is roughly 70 years old and scattered throughout the forest. The younger age class became established about 35 years ago from a clear-cut harvest.
Forest density is represented by fully-stocked stands. The average Basal Area (BA) is 97 ft2 on 296 stems/acre. Stem quality is well above average for the region with Acceptable Growing Stock BA at 81 ft2.
The younger age class is of high density with straight, clean, and tall stems, perfectly positioned for future asset appreciation and advancement of product shifting to higher valued sawlogs and veneer. The older age class represents a nice income opportunity the next time the property is silviculturally treated.
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