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This summer, in accordance with the approved Forest Stewardship Plan, the Westford Town Forest Committee will be conducting a forest thinning operation within the Martina Gage town forest located along both sides of Gage Lane.
The Gage Forest consists of approximately 75 acres of land bordering Heart Pond and located along both sides of Gage Lane. This forest has been owned by the Town of Westford since the 1930s. Previously the land was owned by Daniel Gage who owned and operated the Daniel Gage Ice Company in Lowell beginning in 1869. Daniel Gage was a prominent Lowell businessman and he became known as the Lowell Ice King. He frequently donated to Lowell’s charitable organizations. His daughter, Martina, continued to operate the successful business for 28 years following Daniel’s death in 1901. After Martina’s death in 1935, and in accordance with her will, her land holdings were donated to towns throughout the Merrimack Valley in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Having been the owner/operator of an ice company, most of these lands are located adjacent to lakes and ponds.
At annual Town Meetings in February 1936 the town of Westford voted to accept the 75 acres of land, and in February 1940 the town placed it under the care of the Town Forest Committee. The forest has grown relatively undisturbed since then.
As an interesting historical note, the lands surrounding Heart Pond in Chelmsford were part of the Martina Gage donations – unlike Westford, the Town of Chelmsford sold off some of the property as residential lots. This generated such opposition that the Chelmsford Land Conservation Trust was formed to preserve open space in town.
As part of their management responsibilities, the Town Forest Committee hired Consulting Forester John F. Robbins of Concord to evaluate the Gage Forest and to provide recommendations for long term management.
Robbins studied the forest and prepared a Forest Stewardship Plan which was approved by the Town Forest Committee in November 2017. The plan mapped out four stands within the 75-acre forest, each being a unique combination of tree species and land types.
One stand in particular, a 20-acre portion located in the central part of the upland forest, was found to be populated almost exclusively with fully mature white pines 2-3 feet in diameter and 100Â feet in height.
These white pines making up 90Â percent of the stand species, have reached their full maturity and are starting to show signs of decline.
The extreme density of mature pines blocks sunlight from reaching the forest floor which limits the growth of younger pines, hardwoods and shrubs in the understory. A strong and diverse understory is important to overall forest health and would present an improved habitat for birds and other wildlife. The forester has recommended that this one central stand be thinned to allow more sunlight to penetrate the canopy to encourage understory diversity and growth.
Over the next several months the forester will mark the limits of the thinning area, mark specific trees for cutting and identify landing areas where the cut trees will be removed from the forest. The Town Forest Committee will continue to hold open public meetings and will likely schedule a public walk of the forest to answer any questions from neighbors and other interested persons. The actual thinning operation is expected to be conducted over the summer of 2018 when the soils are relatively dry.
The three other stands identified in the Forest Stewardship Plan are not recommended for any cutting at this time, and they will be left as-is. These other three stands contain wetlands, wetland buffers, riverfront areas, and mixed forests with reasonable diversity of species and density of trees.
The Town Forest Committee is comprised of three members, each serving 3-year terms, appointed by the Town Manager. The current members are myself, Chairman Hugh Maguire and Richard ‘Chip’ Barret. On behalf of the Board of Selectmen, the Town Forest Committee manages approximately 270 acres of forest lands scattered throughout Westford.
The Committee’s management goals are long-term; to maintain and enhance wildlife habitat, improve recreational opportunities and protect both soil and water quality. Committee meetings are open to the public and are posted with the Westford Town Clerk’s office. Town Forest Committee contact information can be found on the committee web page at westfordma.gov/980/Town-Forest-Committee.
Jim Gozzo is a Westford resident.
