Last week, Stowe Land Trust removed a collapsed sugarhouse at Kirchner Woods with assistance from Lipsky Logging LLC.
The sugarhouse was beyond repair when the land trust bought the property from Jerry Kirchner’s estate in 2009, and the structure finally succumbed under heavy snows earlier this year. Most of the sugaring equipment was also in poor condition and could not be salvaged, except for a small evaporator, which the land trust has retained.
However, there is a possibility that sap buckets and maple steam will return to Kirchner Woods.
“Part of our mission is to conserve productive forestland, which means keeping our forests intact and using them wisely,” said Kristen Sharpless, the land trust’s conservation program manager. “We’ve got the opportunity at Kirchner Woods to show visitors firsthand how uses like sugaring and firewood-cutting can help meet that goal when done carefully and with a long-term view.”
Next steps for the land trust will be conducting a feasibility study for a small-scale demonstration sugaring operation, and planning for some initial light cutting to improve maple growth and songbird habitat.
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