East Branch Forest

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$575,000

315 Acres

Multiple Uses

Newark, Caledonia County, VT

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Property Details

Location: Newark, Caledonia County, VT

Price: $575,000

Acres: 315

Type: Multiple Uses

Introduction

The land’s highest and best use is variable including as a timber investment, homesite building option, sugarbush management, and a launching point to the nearby downhill ski and mountain bike trails.

Property highlights include:

Outstanding timber resource with standing timber value of $434,000;
Paved access with long developed internal road;
Private homesite options with nearby electric & phone services;
Diverse terrain with year round stream, mountain-top site, fines views of opposing East Haven Range, and large glacial erratics;
Great location just 8 miles north from Burke Ski Resort & Kingdom Trails bike network;
Potential sugarbush use from the +/-11,000 total maple taps.

Location

The property is located in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont just 8 miles to the north of The Kingdom’s most visited area, Burke Mountain Ski Resort and Kingdom Trails, the latter known as one of the best outdoor trail networks in North America. While the ski resort has much of its visitors during the winter, the 100 plus miles of outdoor recreational trails offered by Kingdom Trails, sees +/-135k annual visits, largely during Vermont’s other three seasons. Supporting these two industries are many nearby restaurants, stores, B&B’s, brewery’s and other establishments.

East Burke, a small gateway village to the ski area is 8 miles to the south. Five miles further south is Lyndonville, a much larger town with all services. The regions largest city is St. Johnsbury 25 miles to the south of the land. Boston is a 3 hour drive. Locally, the land sits in a rural area dominated by forestland with scattered homes along the main roads. Just to the east and within sight of the property is the undeveloped East Haven Range which includes Starr, Bull and Seneca Mountains, a scenic, large unbroken forest landscape.

Access

Access could not be better with +/-1,275’ of frontage along Route 114, a paved state highway with electric and telephone services roadside.

Internal access is provided by 0.8 miles of a well constructed, ditched and drained road running parallel to East Branch Brook. This private road is well suited to future forest management activities, as a driveway in association with home construction, and for recreation (i.e. Nordic skiing, biking, ATV’s). Nice old woods trails run through much of the land enhancing the land’s recreational amenity.

Directions: From the home address 954 Island Pond Road, East Haven, VT 05837, the land’s driveway is 0.2 miles to the north on the left (west) side of the road.

Site Description

The land’s diverse geographic attributes offers an ideal landscape for the outdoor enthusiast, while the internal access road and nearby terrain provides various private future homesites with easy access to the nearby mountain bike trails and skiing.

The main water resource is the year round East Branch Stream which makes up the eastern boundary. This stream runs along forest and a series or small wetland habitat areas. The stream flows into the East Branch of the Passumpsic River, a large tributary river directly across the road from the land, making fishing and summer swimming in one of its deep pools an easy walk.

The topography is shaped by the land’s western boundary’s position on the south shoulder of Packer Mountain, where from this high elevation of 1,920’, the terrain slopes downhill, easternly to the East Branch Stream ending at an elevation of 1,060’. Aspect is nearly all to the east.

Along the ridgeline of Packer Mountain (the northern tip of the property) the land is mostly level but then falls to steep terrain with rock out-crops and scattered large glacial erratics offering an interesting hiking area. Further downslope to the east, the land begins to become more gently sloping (but still somewhat steep in areas) before becoming more level near the access road and east toward the stream.

The best potential homesites are located along the internal access road on either side where terrain is level and soils will support a future septic system, the latter has not yet been tested and should be confirmed via buyer due diligence.

Timber

Timber data in this report are based on a timber inventory conducted in May of 2019, with the purpose of establishing Capital Timber Value (CTV), by the owners forester, Wagner Forest Management, a well respected, regional forest management provider. 111 inventory points were sampled (1 plot per 2.84 acres), covering a 330’ X 330’ grid using a 15-factor prism. Sampling statistics are ±18.83% standard error for sawlog products and +/-10.78% for all products combined at the 95% confidence interval. Upon applying growth for 5 seasons at regional FIA data growth rates, the timber data reveal a total sawlog volume of 1,231 MBF International ¼” scale (3.9 MBF/acre), with 7,191 pulpwood cords (22.9 cords/acre). Combined total commercial per acre volume is 30.7 cords, a figure higher then the average for the region. Stumpage values were assigned to the volumes in September of 2023, producing a property-wide Capital Timber Value (CTV) of $434,100 ($1,391/commercial acre). See the Timber Valuation in this report for details.

Species Composition:
The species composition is 77% hardwoods and 37% softwoods. Species composition for all products combined is led by sugar maple (39%), followed by spruce/fir (18%), yellow birch (15%), red maple (9%), and American beech (9%), with miscellaneous softwoods and hardwoods as associates. The sawlog volume breakdown is led by spruce/fir (46%), followed by sugar maple (29%), and yellow birch (10%), along with small levels of various common associates. The primary species all have benefited from strong historical (and current) markets for their various end products, ensuring the likelihood of robust asset appreciation from stumpage price growth.

Stocking and Stem Quality:
With the exception of areas harvested in 2008, forest density is generally represented by fully stocked stands. The average Basal Area (BA) is 109 ft2 on 276 stems/acre. Stem quality is above average within all size classes.

Sawlog Value/ Thinning History:
Sawlog value is dominated by sugar maple (48%) followed by spruce/fir (26%), and yellow birch (17%), with the small balance held by red maple, white ash and others.

The 2019 forest management plan identifies three forest stands of which two are hardwood stands and one is primarily a spruce/fir stand. All stands were thinned in the early 90’s (+/-31 years ago). Stand 2 (hardwood) was also treated in 2008 via thinning and group selection. One third of stand 3 (softwood) was treated in 2008 via patch clearcuts.

Diameter Distribution:
Average diameter for all products combined is 12.0”, while the average sawlog diameter is nearly 13”. Average diameter for sugar maple is 13”, yellow birch is 14.5”, and spruce/fir 10”.

The diameter distribution indicates a wide range, with strong representation from advanced saplings (established from the thinning 31 years ago), pole growing stock (pre-sawlogs, likely 60 years old), and medium to large sawlogs (75-100 years old). Worthy of note is that 25% of volume from the main hardwood species (maple, yellow birch & cherry) comes from the 5-10” size classes, creating a solid future sawlog crop.

TAXES & TITLE
Municipal property taxes in 2023 were $1,232. The property IS enrolled in the State of Vermont’s Use Value Appraisal (UVA) program (plan date 2019). The ownership is Cherokee Hills LLC, whose deed is recorded in Book 45, Page 6.

SUGARBUSH OPTION
The timber data indicates a total of 11,000 potential maple taps from the 9” and greater size classes, with 77% of the taps from sugar maple and the balance red maple. Electric power is available roadside and most of the terrain slopes to the access road.

Parcel Map

Broker Disclosure: Under agency law, you are considered a customer, unless you have a written brokerage agreement with Fountains Land (in which case you are a client). While you are a customer, Fountains is NOT obligated to keep confidential the information that you might share with us; therefore, you should not reveal any information that could harm your bargaining position.