Operations began Monday 1/19, and work was completed the following week. We thank visitors to the park for keeping a safe distance from the area during this time. While equipment has been removed, woody debris remains under the surface of the snow. Please continue to use caution on Davis Mine Trail.

Climate-smart forestry operations at Pelham Lake Park are scheduled to begin along the Davis Mine Trail Loop in January. The southern ~0.5 miles of the Davis Mine Loop Trail will be closed to all recreational activities during this time. The closure has been lifted, but visitors are encouraged to use caution when recreating in the harvest area as woody debris remains under the snow surface, creating tripping hazards.

The central practice taking place is the installation of two 2-acre climate-smart patch cuts with reserves on either side of the trail near the Davis Mine Road parking lot. Functionally, this is a 4-acre patch cut, with each 2-acre component receiving a different treatment, as one patch will be protected with a slash wall to exclude deer and protect young trees. The complete plan is linked below.

This plan was developed in partnership with the Town's forester and Mass Audubon as part of the larger MVP grant-funded project, Adapting Pelham Lake Park to a Changing Climate. Our goals are to improve long-term forest health and climate resilience and to act as a demonstration forest where area municipalities, local landowners, and other visitors can observe climate-smart management practices in action and learn from the results. Additional aspects of the project include installation of a new kiosk at the beach area, markers for the new Old Growth Habitat trail, guided woods walks, educational sessions with Rowe Elementary students, and updates to the Forest Center of Northwest Massachusetts website.

Climate Smart Foresry Operations Plan

Project Factsheet

The Forest Center Case Study on Rowe