Indian Stream Operating Unit - Connecticut Lakes Natural Area

The Indian Stream Operating Unit is located in northern New Hampshire within the towns Clarksville and Pittsburg. There are 25,000 total acres, 10,000 of which are the management area, and the other 15,000 have no active timber management and serve as a Nature Preserve. With site conditions, it has been reported that the site has a high chance to shift to softwood type, and the management is prescribed to help regenerate mixed wood and hardwood species. Expanding gap irregular shelterwood has been prescribed to the stands to help regenerate 15% of the manageable acres every 15 years for softwood regeneration and stem density, to promote snowshoe hare population growth.

Pittsburg, New Hampshire

The Indian Streak Operating Unit is in the western portion of the Connecticut Lakes Natural Area

45.051710

-71.386750

There is an access road to the site.

25,000 acreas

Mixedwoods

Bemis-Surplus association (865B), Surplus-Bermis association (737B), Glebe-Saddleback-Sisk association (738B), and Glebe-Saddleback-Sick association (738D)

2015

Winter 2015/2016

In December 2005, NH Fish and Game obtained the Indian Stream Operating Unit property from the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Forest. This site was used for commercial timber management for a long time of high-grade timber. Moose browsing on site, along with the commercial harvesting, have changed the site significantly to forest regeneration, soils, structures, and hydrology. The timber is known to be lower quality and stunted in growth because of those historic logging and its northern proximity. The last timber harvest was estimated to be in the late 1980s.

The Indian Stream Operating Unit has 10,000 acres of management area. Expanding gap irregular shelterwood has been prescribed to the stands to help regenerate 15% of the manageable acres ever 15 years for softwood regeneration and stem density, to promote snowshoe hare population growth. Uneven-age management with an expanding gap irregular shelterwood was prescribed for these goals. Beyond this, lower quality stands will be chosen to encourage the growth and development of larger diameter trees as well as snags and CWD. The landowner adjacent to this property will be consulted to manage snowshoe hare habitat for predators on the land and within nearby properties.

The objectives of this site include allowing lower quality hardwood and mixed wood stands into the stands that have softwood regeneration already present, and to instate uneven-age management in the stands that have the lowest quality mature softwoods. This will be done using expanding gap irregular shelterwood or irregular uneven-aged shelterwood. These lower quality stands will be chosen to encourage greater growth and development of larger diameter trees, snags, and CWD.

The landowner and bordering landowner's objectives are to evaluate and manage snowshoe hare habitat, to provide more prey mesocarnivore species for predators on the land.

The Stewardship Plan's Forest structure goals are to have 10% seedling/sapling, 45% pole timber, and 45% sawtimber within all of the stands. This goal is to be achieved using an expanding gap irregular shelterwood to create softwood regeneration and release softwood regeneration where it has been established. An expanding gap irregular shelterwood will also be used to create diversity in the stand, to maximize forest structure for wildlife habitat. The first cut will be used for softwood regeneration in small gaps ranging 0.1-0.25 acres in size. This will be expanding with every entry. Approximately 15% of the stands should be regenerated every 15 years using a 90-year rotation for continuous forest structure.

As of 2004, softwood areas of the stand were dominated by seedling/sapling trees, while hardwood and mixed wood areas were dominated by pole timber. The goal for this stand is to assist softwood regeneration, specific to balsam fir, before species decline. Every 15 years, 15% of the stands will be regenerated using a 90-year rotation for continuous forest structure.

irregular shelterwood

• species or ecosystem restoration
• wildlife habitat
• Predator population

New Hampshire Fish and Game

NH Fish and Game

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