Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Published: 12/21/2020 6:55:17 PM
Permanently preserving a parcel of land is an exciting and celebration-worthy event, and commonplace for Monadnock region nonprofits and municipal conservation commissions. However, the Hancock Conservation Commission has realized they’re at a tipping point after two decades of successful land acquisition: there’s an increasingly urgent need for maintenance on town properties.
“When it comes to management, that sometimes gets overlooked,” Chair Phil Brown said. “We have owned some properties for decades, now what do we do?”
Without any maintenance, a forested property can grow beyond tree species’ optimal harvest age, and “become subject to the forces of nature, for better and worse,” he said. Boardwalks and bridges on some town hiking trails are starting to fall into disrepair, as well as the trails themselves, he said.