To the Editor,
Today, an article in the Times explains the Manchester Essex Conservation Trust’s (MECT) efforts to acquire more woodland adjacent to the fire Tower off of Southern Ave. in Essex. They are seeking donations to offset the price of acquisition.
I have had concerns growing about this trend in Essex and our adjoining communities. Over the last several decades, MECT and other “conservation” entities have acquired ownership of hundreds if not thousands of acres of woodlands for “Preservation” and “ Conservation.” But I question if they are really being good shepherds of the land.
Till now, the only concerns I have heard from town officials is that approving these Conservation Restrictions permanently removes this land from the tax rolls. What do these organizations actually DO with these lands once they get them other than encourage people to enjoy the flora and fauna adjacent to the hiking trails? The lots in question today are correctly identified as “former wood lots.”
Historically, the owners of these lots (many of them landlocked) selectively harvested these lots for lumber and firewood. This involved clearing trails and roads in order to remove the wood. These activities cleared brush and removed dead and rotting trees from the forest floor. The woods roads created access and firebreaks in case of brushfires. Now that firewood is no longer a significant source of home heating fuel, these lands return to nature.
Having spent a night in the 1980s in the Manchester woods fighting a brush fire, I know firsthand what can happen.
