(12/16) During the mid-October Emmitsburg town meeting, Commissioners discussed a revision to the forestry plan. Michael Kay, with the Maryland Forest Service, presented the town with recommendations to the forest stewardship plan that included select harvest of timber in certain areas in the Emmitsburg watershed.

The forest stewardship plan noted insufficient tree regeneration in some areas due to deer and invasive plants, as well as the decline of oak and ash species due to gypsy moth and emerald ash borer damage. With records dating back to 1949 concerning the management of the watershed, and the history of the land, Kay had a good idea of some key markers to look for while taking inventory of the forest, which took about two weeks to complete. He looked at several aspects including: species of trees present, tree growth, number and presence of diseased trees, tree sizes, development of the understory, presence of invasive plants, and the presence of streams or wetlands.

After the initial inventory, Kay noted a few recommendations. In regards to the oak and ash trees, Kay recommended completing an intermediate harvest, which would consist of marking oaks and ash trees in declining health. Many of these declining trees still hold economic value to loggers, who would pay the town to harvest the timber. Additionally, harvesting these trees would help terminate invasive species while giving native seeds a chance to germinate.

In other areas of the forest, Kay recommended letting the forest grow with little to no disturbance while maintaining a buffer region around certain areas that contain rare and/or endangered species of vegetation. If approved, Kay is willing to assist staff with the preparation of a request for proposal, marking trees and estimating the market value of the timber. The contractor would take one year to cut the timber.

Commissioner Tim O’Donnell noted concern about the hiking/biking trails that run through the forest and the impact the heavy logging equipment would have on them. He asked if the town could provide assurance that in the case of damage incurred to the trail, the town would commit to repairing the trails to restore them to the way they were. "Volunteers work hard to maintain the trails year-round and valuable grant monies and private donations have gone into the construction of the trails. The trails are an economic engine for our community and a source of pride for us," stated O’Donnell.

Kay’s solution was to have the loggers stay out of a majority of the trail areas, thereby minimizing the potential damage to the trails. The likelihood of the loggers returning the trails to the way they were is slim, so steering clear of the trails is the best option to maintain them as they are.

If approved, the town would use the potentially $223,000 revenue incurred from logging for infrastructure work in town such as sewer line repair and replacement, and the engineering study at Rainbow Lake. The forestry plan will be brought back to the Board in January for a vote. Board members and interested members of the public were invited to accompany Kay in a walkthrough of the forest addressing the plan on December 15.