Courtesy USDA
Map shows trails and visual vistas (lookouts) within the Telephone Gap area as well as the site of a newly proposed hut. The proposal includes new trails for hiking and biking (listed right).
Courtesy USDA
Open house to held Wednesday, March 20, at Barstow
Following nearly four years of study, the Green Mountain National Forest’s preliminary environmental assessment for the Telephone Gap Integrated Resource Project is now available for public review and comment. Written comments will be accepted until April 8, 2024. Public comments received will be used to prepare a final environmental assessment, expected to be completed by early June 2024.
A public open house to learn more about the project proposal is scheduled for the evening of March 20, from 6-8 p.m. at the Barstow Memorial School, 223 Chittenden Road, Chittenden. After a brief introduction, the open house will provide an informal opportunity to ask Forest Service staff questions regarding the environmental analysis.
Maps and information will be available for review.
The project area is located in the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts of the Green Mountain National Forest, primarily within the towns of Chittenden, Killington, Mendon, and Pittsfield and also includes small portions of Brandon, Goshen, Pittsford, and Stockbridge.
The project area encompasses approximately 72,253 acres, 49% of which are National Forest System (NFS) land.
Goals and public benefits of the project include improved wildlife habitat, increased habitat diversity, restored soil and watershed conditions, a sustainable network of roads and trails, increased recreation opportunities, and timber harvesting to provide wood products for the local and regional economy while enhancing forest health and diversity.
Six public meetings and four field trips were held to gather input and ideas regarding the future management of this area to develop the proposed action. A scoping letter was then shared with the public in January 2023, public comments were gathered through March 13, 2023 and the original proposed action has been modified, and two additional alternative proposals have been developed to address public comments:
- Alternative B – Modified Proposed Action
- Alternative C – Developed to address public issues regarding the amount of mature and old forests proposed for harvest.
- Alternative D – Developed to address public issues regarding the quantity of fossil fuel emissions from timber harvest activities.
Proposed timber harvests and additional treatments are designed to address resource concerns identified by forest inventory, including:
More than 5,000 acres of timber stands in the project area are overstocked with trees and are experiencing reduced growth and increased density-caused mortality.
Over half (approximately 57%) of the suitable timber lands in the Telephone Gap project area are comprised of tree species that will exhibit increased signs of mortality or loss of merchantable value from disease or insects between now and the next time this landscape is likely to be considered for management.
Low quality timber stands, including trees with poor form, declining vigor, insect, disease or physical damage, and in particular beech bark disease. Beech bark disease, for which there is no cure, involves an interaction between an introduced insect and a fungus that slowly kills the tree. Stands of beech often succumb to the disease before reaching maturity, resulting in a flush of new beech re-sprout growth destined for the same fate. Forest management focuses on reducing the density of beech in the forest while reserving individual beech trees that appear to be resistant or provide habitat for wildlife. Beech doesn’t compete well in full sunlight, so management involves creating openings where full sunlight reaches the ground, favoring other species such as yellow birch.
Recreation and vistas
Recreation resources within the Telephone Gap project area include trails, developed recreation sites (such as shelters and trailheads), dispersed recreation activities, and recreation special uses.
Currently, there are limited opportunities for specific trail uses such as mountain biking. At the same time, there are challenges involved in maintaining existing trails and facilities.
One of the most popular public activities on the Green Mountain National Forest is viewing scenery provided by established vistas. Management activities are needed to provide new vistas and maintain existing vistas especially along the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail.
The Vermont Huts Association has also applied to construct and operate a hut/cabin providing year-round use north of South Pond. The hut would be managed under a special use permit and made available for public use by reservation. The Vermont Huts Association would be responsible for operation and maintenance. The permit would include use of an existing access road by snowmobile for operations including maintenance during the winter, and by wheeled vehicles in non-snow conditions.
Recreation and visual quality related proposals are the same for all alternatives. Although no alternatives were developed to address recreation or visual quality concerns, public scoping comments associated with proposed trail activities and infrastructure within the project area led to modifications to the proposed action. These modified proposals include trail relocations, changes in managed trail use, adding existing trails on the South Pond acquisition to the Forest Service system, and reduced trail decommissioning.
A detailed description of the Telephone Gap project, the preliminary Environmental Assessment, associated maps, and directions on how to submit comments can be found at: fs.usda.gov/project/?project=60192.
