The Boothbay Region Water District is seeking permission from the town of Boothbay to remove dead and dying trees within the shoreland zone of Adams Pond to improve forest conditions and protect water quality. The proposed cutting area along Route 27 also falls within the Water Reservoirs Protection District, a zone established by Boothbay ordinance in 2004 to protect Adams Pond and Knickerbocker Lake, the Boothbay Region’s water supply.

Last winter, Water District Board Chairman Harry Pinkham raised concern about the health of the red pine trees planted decades ago around Adams Pond. An initial timber cutting plan along Route 27 was developed, but after consultation with Boothbay Code Enforcement Officer Dan Bryer, the district concluded that a typical timber harvest in this area would not be feasible.

In July, the water district contracted with Edgecomb forester Erik Carlson to develop a forest management plan for the roughly 70 acres of property it owns in the vicinity of Adams Pond. The long-term goal of the plan is to maintain a healthy forest to protect Adams Pond’s water quality.

In the forest management plan, Carlson characterized the red pine plantations along the shoreline of Adams Pond as “in decline, overstocked and in need of thinning.” The Forest Management Plan calls for all dead, small crowned and poor quality trees to be cut, for small canopy openings to be created to favor regeneration of white pine and hardwood trees, and for slash to be scattered on site to aid soil stabilization.

Although the forest management plan outlines cutting recommendations for all properties surveyed, the water district is currently only proposing to remove trees marked by Carlson as safety hazards within the wooded corridor between Adams Pond and Route 27. To minimize disturbance, all tree removal will be done by hand and no vehicles or skidders will be used. Cut trees will be left on the ground to rot naturally. 

For more information or to obtain a copy of the Forest Management or Route 27 cutting plan, contact Sue Mello at suembbrwd@gmail.com or 207-633-4723, ext. 111.

The planning board will consider this proposal at its Jan. 21 meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Boothbay Town Office.