Boxford State Forest
Vascular Plant Inventory
and Letter of 13 Aug 2008
Current Inventory and Map
(214 species) 12 July 2009
Photo Gallery
fungi herbs woody other
Boxford State Forest with adjacent Boxford Wildlife Sanctuary and conservation areas is situated at the crossroads of
three different towns in Essex County: North Andover, Middleton, and
Boxford.
It is known to harbor one of the richest plant
communites remaining in eastern Massachusetts. Yet this interesting
forest has been somehow left outside the realm of government care or
public support. It does not have its headquarters or mailing
address, let alone a grass-root Friends organization.While it is
found on the DCR list of
hunting forests with its
trail map
available on line, it is missing from the list of
Massachusetts
State Parks, which includes reservations, parks, and forests.
Even though this forest seems to be a somewhat forgotten area, the DCR did not neglect to include it on its list for proposed "timber harvesting." The DCR appeared too timid to put a plain figure onto the exact forest area proposed for "harvesting." Our own estimate of the area shown on the DCR map has produced a stunning figure of more than 100 acres. In case the cutting of the forest becomes a reality, its rich environment will be become more of a disturbed open space and a safe harbor for many invasive plants that are currently missing from this territory.
Here is our page dedicated to this forest, as there is currently none on the Web. It contains our own report regarding the territory proposed for timber harvesting by DCR. It is hard to imagine that the DFG/NHSP will be able to allocate enough resources in order to produce pre-harvesting inventories for all the 30 areas proposed for cuttings. Google has links to only some four or five of such reports. Therefore we are publishing our own unofficial report for just a single one of these forests. There is apparently room for updates, which we hope to accomplish in the future--in case the forest will have a future.
[Clearcutting in state forests in Massachusetts] with [aerial photos] by Chris Matera
[Essex County Greenbelt Association]
[BTA/BOLT] with [map of Bald Hill]
[Massachusetts Forest and Park Friends Network]
[Towne Pond] [about Towne Pond website]
| I. Kadis & A. Zinovjev
22 August - 15 September 2008 [archived 8 Aug 2022: dead external links removed ..] |