Donate
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Join Our Mailing List
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Hilltown Land Trust

Dedicated to protecting the working lands, native habitats and rural beauty of the Hilltowns since 1986

  • About
    • Board & Committees
    • Staff and TerraCorps members
    • Affiliation with The Trustees
    • Announcements
    • Newsletters
    • Contact
    • Open Positions
  • Land Protection
    • Conservation Restrictions
    • Agricultural Preservation Restrictions
    • Financial Incentives
    • Donating or Selling Land
    • Estate Planning
    • Landowner & Town Resources
  • Properties
    • Trails & Maps
      • Big View Trail
      • Bradley
      • Breckenridge
      • Clary Hill
      • Conwell
      • Hilltown Boulders
      • Historic Dam Trail
      • Locke’s Loop Trail
      • Robert’s Meadow Brook Trail
      • Round Top Hill
      • Stevens
      • Two Mamas Farm Waterfall Trail
    • Land Stewardship
    • Conservation Stories
  • Get Involved
    • Events
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Support
    • Legacy Giving
    • Gorge après Gorge
    • Vernal Pool Plunge
You are here: Home / Announcements / Recap of Pre-Harvest Hike on the Stevens Property

Recap of Pre-Harvest Hike on the Stevens Property

July 22, 2019

people stand in a shrubby clearing, with blue sky above and forest in the background
Participants learn about habitat creation at the site of the older harvest

On a sunny Sunday in June, 25 community members joined HLT to hike the Stevens property trails and learn about forest management. We also looked at, but mostly listened to, birds. Lincoln Fish, the consulting forester for a timber harvest that is planned for this fall at Stevens, led the hike, while talking about the harvest set to be completed this year. The harvest is part of the Foresters for the Birds program, a partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Mass Audubon, and the Massachusetts Woodlands Institute.

We stopped by a portion of Stevens that was cut 10 years ago, creating habitat for moose, porcupine, and many species of birds. This small shrub sapling area created by the harvest is also known as “early successional habitat.” The group noted a black and white warbler, an oven bird, a hummingbird, as well as 10 other species. Lincoln explained that this area is attractive to moose and bird species, who thrive in the small shrub sapling habitat, but once the trees grow larger, the moose will move on and the area will resemble the surrounding forest.

People standing in a forest, listening to Lincoln speak.
Lincoln Fish points out the location of the planned harvest

Our group continued to the false summit of Mount Pisgah and the nearby site of the future timber harvest. Lincoln explained the goals for this harvest are to create more shrub land habitat for bird species and a vista view for hikers. The priority of the harvest is to create habitat, meaning the resale value won’t determine which trees are cut: some marketable trees will be left as habitat resources while other harvested trees may be unmarketable.

Many species rely on multi-aged forest structures–forests that have sections of habitat that are in different stages of growth. As Lincoln told us, “you can’t be all things for all species on only one acre of forest.” The timber harvest on the Stevens property means we will create habitat for more species to enjoy on a small piece of this large, conserved forest land!

Filed Under: Announcements, Past Events

Events Calendar

Today
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
10:00 AM - iNaturalist Bioblitz: Biodiversity Monitor Training
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
iNaturalist Bioblitz: Biodiversity Monitor Training
iNaturalist Bioblitz: Biodiversity Monitor Training
Jul 19th, 2025    
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
  • Hands-On
  • Training
  • Volunteer
  • Workshop
Session 1: Summer Botany Contribute to community science and learn about ecology in a supportive environment at HLT’s new biodiversity monitoring program series. Whether you’re [...]
More Info
Events on Jul 19th, 2025
iNaturalist Bioblitz: Biodiversity Monitor Training
iNaturalist Bioblitz: Biodiversity Monitor Training
19 Jul 25
  • About
    • Board & Committees
    • Staff and TerraCorps members
    • Affiliation with The Trustees
    • Announcements
    • Newsletters
    • Contact
    • Open Positions
  • Land Protection
    • Conservation Restrictions
    • Agricultural Preservation Restrictions
    • Financial Incentives
    • Donating or Selling Land
    • Estate Planning
    • Landowner & Town Resources
  • Properties
    • Trails & Maps
      • Big View Trail
      • Bradley
      • Breckenridge
      • Clary Hill
      • Conwell
      • Hilltown Boulders
      • Historic Dam Trail
      • Locke’s Loop Trail
      • Robert’s Meadow Brook Trail
      • Round Top Hill
      • Stevens
      • Two Mamas Farm Waterfall Trail
    • Land Stewardship
    • Conservation Stories
  • Get Involved
    • Events
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Support
    • Legacy Giving
    • Gorge après Gorge
    • Vernal Pool Plunge

Learn

  • Announcements
  • Staff and TerraCorps members
  • Contact

Participate

  • Events
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Subscribe

Hike

  • Bradley
  • Breckenridge
  • Stevens
Land Trust Accreditation seal
Contact Us
admin: Log in
© 2025 Hilltown Land Trust | Hilltown Land is a 501c3 nonprofit organization | Est. 1986