Responsible Land Stewardship & Supporting Ecosystem Health
In 2024, we were awarded a grant through UNH’s Women in the Woods program to develop a Forest Management Plan. We worked with Martin Forestry Consulting to develop a Forest Management Plan that reflected our goals of addressing invasive species, supporting biodiversity and forest health, planning for low-impact recreational uses, and identifying locations for low-impact cultivation and agroforestry. We are now hoping to work with NRCS to begin implementing strategies identified in the FMP.
Growing Site-ApproPriate Food Crops
In 2020, we worked with Resilience Planning & Design to develop a permaculture site plan for the property that reflected our long-term goals and values. This site plan now informs our land-use planning decisions and serves as the foundation for all activities on the property.
In 2024, we began to establish the orchard by planting the first apple, cherry, peach, and pear trees. This has been an enjoyable but challenging endeavor. So far we’ve learned that fruit trees are very susceptible to pests! We were able to fend off the Japanese beetles, but are still struggling with fungal and bacterial pests. It’s a learning experience and we’re hopeful that the orchard will bounce back in 2025 and that we can continue to expand both our knowledge and the orchard.
supporting local ecotourism
We believe that low-impact, sustainable tourism focused on outdoor recreation can bring economic benefits to our community while providing a way to share the natural beauty of our region with visitors who share our environmental values. In 2024, we began hosting campers through Hipcamp. After a successful first season, we are excited to host guests again in 2025. You can check out our Hipcamp listing here.
education and events
In 2020, we hosted our first workshop on forest-grown mushroom cultivation. We hosted an expert from Fungi Ally who taught participants how to prepare oak logs (called ‘bolts’) with mushroom spawn for shiitake mushroom cultivation. After a short hiatus, we are excited to be hosting educational and community-building events again this summer. Check out our Events page to view our summer schedule and to register for upcoming events!