Timber harvest will still negatively affect Thornton road

To The Daily Sun,

Ansel Adams once said, “It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.”

On October 21, 1988, the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Eastern Region, released a decision on appeal by Mr. Carleton F. Kilmer of the “Cone Mountain Vegetative Management Project (Timber Harvest)” located in and around the Mill Brook Valley in Thornton. The Forest Supervisor directed the Pemigewasset Ranger District, White Mountain National Forest, by way of “remand”, to do a more thorough analysis and reconsider the decision to move forward with the Cone Mountain Project. The analysis was never done and the Cone Mountain Project never went forward.

It was not until 1998 that the Pemigewasset District Ranger returned with a project entitled “Hazelton Brook.” The Hazelton Brook Project covered the area of the Cone Mountain Project, but was larger. Once again, Carleton Kilmer, this time with the concurrence of the board of directors of the Mill Brook Valley Maintenance Corporation (a “homeowners’ association” representing 72 owners of 120 lots with 46 homes), challenged the Forest Service on several fronts, including the proposal to use the “scenic,” graveled Mill Brook Road as the “haul route” to remove the harvested timber. After many months of advocacy, including public field trips and political intervention, the Forest Service announced that it was no longer considering the Mill Brook Road. Thereafter, ultimately, the Forest Service “postponed the project.”. The residents were grateful. Additionally, the analysis required by the 1988 remand was never published and, presumably, never done.

Now, in 2019, the Pemigewasset Ranger District returns with a new project entitled “Wanosha Integrated Resource Management Project” (“Wanosha IRP”). This project includes timber harvesting in the same area as the Cone Mountain and Hazelton Brook projects, only larger. The project combines the timber harvest with construction of a mountain bike trail network at Smarts Brook on the Waterville Valley side of the watershed. Once again, Carleton Kilmer and the board of directors of the Mill Brook Valley Maintenance Corporation are fighting the Forest Service on several fronts. Once again, the Forest Service wants to use the Mill Brook Road as the only road to truck in the equipment and truck out the timber.

The Pemigewasset District Ranger and U.S. Forest Service staff met with the selectmen of the Town of Thornton on April 10, 2019. Reportedly, the selectmen shared several concerns about the road during the meeting. The ranger said the Forest Service wants to be a good neighbor.

Two days later, on April 12, 2019, the Forest Service released its draft EA (Environmental Assessment) and PFONSI (Preliminary Finding Of No Significant Impact) for the Wanosha IRP and confirmed the harvest in the valley and the use the Mill Brook Road as the haul route. No alternative was analyzed.

In response, the Town of Thornton Board of Selectmen sent comments to Ranger Brown and the Pemigewasset Ranger District stating, “The Thornton Board of Selectmen wants the record to reflect that it does not agree with this preliminary finding of no significant impact,”, and, “The Board has very serious concerns relative to road safety when it comes to the Mill Brook Road,” and “There is simply no place for a car to go when it meets a large log truck and it will be virtually impossible for the vehicle to move safely out of the way.”

In separate comments, Mr. Kilmer engaged experts to provide information to the Forest Service, including that they are placing homes and property at risk in the valley by cutting on the slopes of the watershed. One expert report concluded that the Wanosha IRP will generally increase the risk of flooding in the valley and, specifically, for as many as 13 structures on private property.

The Mill Brook portion of the entire cut is only about 20 percent. If the Forest Service would forego this controversial portion of the suspect harvest, the Mill Brook Road would not be needed and the residents would be respected.

In sum, there are major road safety problems, major flooding issues, potential property damage issues and a huge “right on top of me” community impact. Ansel Adams got it right.

Thomas W. Cowie

Plymouth