Ward Forest

Location

Locally, the land sits in a heavily forested landscape between the 5,509-acre Roxbury State Forest with the Rice & Vogt Blocks to the west and Cram Hill Block just east of the Roxbury Valley. Scattered homes are located along the town roads, and small family farms are situated mostly in the valleys. Near the property are a few homes, most just south of the land along Route 12A.

Roxbury Village is 4 miles north, hosting a town store and youth summer tennis camp. Ten miles to the south,  Randolph is a larger, vibrant community bolstered by the presence of the Chandler Center for the Arts, Gifford Medical Center, and Vermont Technical College. The ski town of Warren is 12 miles to the west over Warren Mountain Road.

Boston Massachusetts is a three-hour drive; New York City is 6 hours away and Hartford Connecticut is three hours to the south.

This part of Vermont is known for growing outstanding northern hardwoods, including The Maples and yellow birch. In addition, forest product manufacturing facilities are located within trucking distance both regionally and in southern Quebec, Canada.

Access

The property benefits from 400+/- feet of paved road frontage along the western side of Route 12A. A driveway along Route 12A runs into the land 200+/- feet to a clearing, formally used as a landing to process harvested forest products. The proximity to paved road frontage can extend harvest periods during the spring and late fall months, as these roads do not become soft like gravel roads. This Route 12A landing point provides access to the land's eastern half.

A right of way for forest management purposes exists off Thurston Hill Road, where a truck road has been established that leads 2,335+/- feet to the land's northern boundary, where a second landing is located. This site provides solid access to the land's western half.

Boundary lines appear to have been updated with red paint in +/-2013; therefore, the boundaries remain in good condition, with no maintenance required for another 5-7 years.

Site Description

The site generally has an eastern aspect, with nearly all terrain falling to Route 12A from the Property's height of land (elevation of 1,680') along the western boundary. The Property's lowest elevation is 900' along the Route 12A road frontage.

The eastern third of the Property holds the steepest slopes; however, all of this terrain (except the power line right of way) is operable, commercial forest acreage, supporting mechanical harvesting equipment. The mid to upper sections of the land generally hold modestly sloping terrain, easily traversed with mechanical harvesting equipment.

Soils are mostly well drained and productive, the primary reason hardwoods dominate the species composition.

One small stream runs through the lower, eastern end of the land. While this stream runs low during summer, it is scenic with steep banks and rock out-cropping.

The land's primary highest and best use is long-term timber production; however, the Property does support the construction of a camp from the Route 12A access. Electric power and phone service are close to this location.

Timber

Timber data is based on a comprehensive and monumented timber inventory completed in October of 2022 for the purpose of establishing Capital Timber Value (CTV). The timber data reveal a total sawlog volume of 1,442 MBF International ¼" scale (6.0 MBF/acre), with 3,860 pulpwood cords (16.1 cords/acre). The combined total commercial per acre volume is 28.2 cords, a figure a bit above average for the region. Stumpage values were assigned to the volumes in November of 2022, producing a property-wide Capital Timber Value (CTV) of $322,500 ($1,347/commercial acre).

The species composition is dominated by hardwoods at 87% of total volume with softwoods at 13%. Species composition for all products combined mirrors that commonly found in the area, with sugar maple holding 42% of total volume, American beech (12%), red maple (12%), The Birches (11%), red spruce (8%), other softwoods (5%), white ash (5%) and miscellaneous hardwoods completing the profile. Sawlog value is held by sugar maple (59%), red spruce (13%), red maple (7%), white ash (6%), and yellow birch (6%), with the balance held by miscellaneous species.

The average diameter for all products combined is 12", while the average sawlog diameter is 13.5". The average diameter for the main three species are red maple 14.0", sugar maple 13", and red spruce 12". Generally, the forest has one primary age class, which is roughly 75 years old. A younger age class of growing stock (3-6" stems), is the result of harvesting conducted +/-25 years ago.