Download NEW HAMPSHIRE FOREST RESOURCES PLAN

NEW HAMPSHIRE FOREST
RESOURCES PLAN
P ROJECT AREA DESCRIPTION
Location:
New Hampshire
Project size:
5 million acres
Initiator:
New Hampshire
Division of Forests
and Lands
Because this project is a New Hamp shire
state agency policy, the project area is
defined by the state’s boundaries. The
landform varies from mountainous terrain
in the northern portion of the state to the
Connecticut River Valley and the small
seacoast area to the South. The state is
85% forested, with spruce fir in the high
elevations, predominantly northern
hardwoods in the North, and a mix of
white pine and red oak in the South.
Federally-listed threatened and
endangered species include the small
whorled pogonia. Significant land
holdings are in public ownership,
including the White Mountain National
Forest at 740,000 acres. The predominant
land use in the northern part of the state is
forest products, agriculture in the
Connecticut River Valley, and
manufacturing and service industries in
the southern portion.
ECOSYSTEM STRESSES
The biggest threat to the area is the
conversion of forest to non-forest uses,
occurring most heavily in southern New
Hampshire due to the urban sprawl
northward from Boston. Technology has
also made it easier for people to live further from their office. The result is an increase in development and fragmentation
from large to small blocks. These blocks
have no management strategies. Roads
often run through traditional wildlife
habitat.
P ROJECT DESCRIPTION
Forest Resources Plans are legislated
policy documents that direct state forest
policy for a period of 10 years. The plan
currently being drafted is the fourth forest
plan in New Hamp shire; the first was in
1952 and the most recent in 1980. In the
past, these plans tended to be issue-
oriented, looking at forest resources as a
commodity and focusing on the forest
industry. The current plan is quite different, reflecting the change in knowledge
and scientific base with regard to forest
resources. This plan has a more
ecologically-based approach and is vision
driven instead of issue driven. This new
direction of forest planning comes on the
heels of the work of the Northern Forest
Lands Council, an effort focused on
maintaining large forest tracts in the
region.
A Steering Committee of 28 people from
diverse backgrounds was brought
together by the State Forester in April
1994 to guide the Forest Resources Plan.
This group comprises landowners, forest
industry, state resource agencies, and
property rights and environmental groups.
The Steering Committee outlined a vision
for the desired future landscape condition
for the next 50-100 years and recorded 13
of the biggest challenges in reaching this
vision. In order to assess the current
condition of the forest, a group of 45
additional people were gathered into three
assessment groups: economic issues,
ecological resources, and human and
social values.
P RESENT STATUS & OUTLOOK
A 250-page assessment was presented to
the Steering Committee by the assessment
groups. The Committee will develop a plan
that will meet the challenges based on the
information from the assessment, relying
on their own knowledge and expertise as
well as on people from the forest
resources community. The plan is due to
be completed in 1996.
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Ecosystem Management in the United States: An Assessment of Current Experience
NEW HAMPSHIRE FOREST RESOURCES PLAN -- continued
Factors Facilitating Progress
New Hampshire has a history of
cooperative policy development.
The forest resources and environmental communities are small: most
of the people have worked together
previously on other projects. This
familiarity aided during plan
development.
Obstacles to Progress
The project follows an ambitious
schedule due to legislated deadlines. Since much of this work is
being carried out for the first time,
working out details may take longer
than anticipated, making deadlines
more challenging to meet.
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Contact information:
Ms. Susan Francher
New Hampshire Division of
Forests and Lands
PO Box 1856
Concord, NH 03302-1856
(603) 271-2214