Rogers Peak Hillside

Location

The land is located in Rochester, with the property situated at the Town’s southeastern section. The land sits just east of Route 100, on the north-western slopes of Rogers Peak. The land is within the White River watershed, with the river running on the west side of Route 100.

The village of Rochester, situated in the Upper White River Valley, is 2 miles up Route 100, a border town of the Green Mountain National Forest, with a mix of small shops including a hardware store, a bookstore, café, a full-service mountain bike shop, several restaurants, and a grocery store. Just down the road from the land’s Route 100 frontage is the Green Mountain National Golf Course.  Killington Ski Resort is 17 miles to the south. Hartford, Connecticut, is 3 hours south, and Boston is 2.5 hours southeast.

The land’s location to Route 100 offers easy access to regional forest products markets within Vermont, neighboring states, and to Quebec, Canada.

Access

It appears the deeded access is via a woods trail leading from Route 100, then easterly +/-2,400’ to the northwestern corner of the property. This woods trail is depicted on the property maps. In past thinning projects, this woods road was used with a landing along the way (on the neighbors land) by special permission and consent from this adjacent landowner. The old landing is fairly close to Route 100, along the power line which was recently used as a landing by the adjacent landowner.

Once on the land, old skid trails access all of the property. Some uphill skidding is required from the southwest corner of the land, given the steep stream banks between the access trail and this part of the land.

Site Description

Once on the land, old skid trails access all of the property. Some uphill skidding is required from the southwest corner of the land, given the steep stream banks between the access trail and this part of the land.

The property’s name comes from the Rogers Peak and ridgeline that sits just south and east of the land whose slopes fall onto the Subject. The land primarily has a western aspect with a height of 1,940’ at its eastern boundary, with nearly all slopes falling to the west towards the access trail, where the low elevation is 1,100’ (where the stream leaves the property). The terrain is variable, with steep slopes along the land’s western end and a ravine along the banks of the stream in this area, which creates several falls and deep pools as the stream runs downhill. There are also rock cliffs just south of the small knoll near the southern boundary with cave-like areas and possibly black bear denning locations. The remainder of the land (its majority) holds mostly gently to moderate slopes.

The watershed for the stream that runs through the land is nearly entirely on the property. This small stream is quite scenic at its western end, with very old and tall hemlocks packed side by side along its banks. 

Nearly all of the land is accessible with conventional harvesting machinery with the exception of the two areas identified as non-commercial on the maps due to excessively steep terrain.

Timber

Timber inventory data reveals a total sawlog volume of 1,217 MBF International ¼” scale (8.9 MBF/commercial acre) with 2,899 pulpwood cords (21.2 cords/commercial acre). The combined total commercial per acre volume is 38.9 cords, a figure well above average for the region. Stumpage values were assigned to the volumes in November of 2021, producing a property-wide Capital Timber Value (CTV) of $267,900 ($1,956/commercial acre).

A species composition dominated by hardwoods prevails, with hardwoods at 80% and softwoods at 20% of total volume. Species composition for all products combined offers a favorable mix and is led by sugar maple at 27% of total volume, followed by red maple (23%), white ash (17%), hemlock (10%), red spruce & white pine (5% each), yellow birch (4%) and other miscellaneous species making up the balance. The sawlog volume breakdown offers a similar species mix.

The average diameter for all products combined by volume is 14”, while the average sawlog diameter is 15.5”. The average diameter for the three major species is sugar maple 14”, red maple 15” and white ash 16”.  This is a forest with very high stocking and a maturing size class. It also includes a considerable component of small to medium-sized sawlog stems.

The property’s forest management plan delineates three stands and offers detailed information about the land’s history and attributes. Based on the plan, there is a long history of professional forest management with TSI in 1964-66 and thinning in the late ’80s and 1996. Thinning is scheduled for stands 1 & 2, which can be done anytime.

The property offers a potential sugarbush given the 9,600 estimated maple taps with taps per acre of +/-73, a tap density suitable for a sugarbush. In addition, much of the maple sits on slopes that fall towards the stream and near the access route, eventually down to Route 100, where power exists. In order to utilize these taps, permission from adjacent landowners would be required for placing tubing and then a sap collection area near the Route 100 roadside.

Easement

The conservation easement on the property is held by the Vermont Land Trust (VLT), one of the most respected conservation organizations in the nation. A working forest “partnership” with VLT offers the new owner predictability and cooperation, given the long history and respected reputation this land trust has established.

A principal objective of the easement is to conserve productive forestry resources and to encourage the long-term, professional management of those resources and to facilitate the economically sustainable production of forest resources while protecting water resources, scenic vistas,1 and wildlife habitat.

Easement highlights include:

• Most sustainable and traditional forestry and sugarbush activities are permitted to support the long-term stewardship of the protected property;
• The property can be posted to exclude public access;
• Silvicultural activities to be carried out under an approved 10-year forest management plan.
• Structures limited to sugaring and forest management uses. No homes or camps can be placed on the land. 

 Copy of the easement is available upon request