Resilience Forestry
Managing for Birds and Wildlife.
To support and expand the biodiversity of the McCoy-Chapman preserve, we have partnered with New England Forestry Foundation and Maine Audubon to manage the property to maintain the cold, clear water of Chapman Brook and to selectively cut the forest to establish better habitat for Maine songbirds.
To learn more about each of these project, click on a link below:
Upcoming timber harvest and trail closures at McCoy-Chapman Forest 2026-27
Greetings trail users and community members,
Mahoosuc Land Trust is preparing for a timber harvest on the McCoy-Chapman Forest in Gilead. This is Phase 2 of a 10-year Habitat Restoration and Forest Management Plan written in cooperation with two ecologists, MLT’s Forester and the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF). Harvesting will only be conducted on portions of the upland sections, with no cut zones established in areas of big old trees as well as generous river and stream buffers. Operations and trail closures are scheduled to begin in mid-October, and wrap up (weather dependent) by February 2027. Mahoosuc Land Trust will be working through 2027 and 2028 to make necessary repairs and improvements to the existing recreational assets to ensure the McCoy-Chapman Forest is still an inspiring and educational place to recreate.
Both parking lots and the entire Esker Loop will remain open during the full duration of operations, with minor exceptions. Additionally, timber operations will cease one weekend day each week and on all state and federal holidays. On these days, all trails in the McCoy-Chapman Forest will be open for responsible recreation. Signage will be present on the property indicating trail closures and days when re-opened. For those interested in more information, click here, or use the email address below for questions.
Goals of the McCoy-Chapman timber harvest include:
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Open patch cuts in dense stands of diseased American beech trees to encourage early successional forest, canopy gaps, and wildlife openings.
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Create space for reforestation and enrichment plantings, including experimental assisted migration to introduce southern species in advance of a changing climate
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Thin selected forest stands to improve mixed wood conditions and partial sun to support additional diversity in the understory.
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Retain forest characteristics that mimic traits of older forests and are typically removed in purely commercial harvests: snags (dead standing wood), nesting cavity trees, large-downed wood (AKA coarse woody debris).
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Donate 160 cords (a full 2-year supply) to the Bethel Wood Bank, providing free firewood (heat fuel) to anyone in need in our area.
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Contribute high quality saw logs, a local and renewable resource, to the forest products supply chain supporting a mainstay of Maine’s rural economy.
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Use of some of the revenue generated from the timber harvest on McCoy-Chapman Forest will directly support improving recreation access and amenities on the property, including replacing a failing bridge, and making improvements for wheelchair accessibility to a scenic pool in Chapman Brook.
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Spenser Williams | MLT Stewardship Director
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