This past Thursday, December 4th, Stowe Land Trust removed the collapsed sugarhouse at Kirchner Woods with help from Jed and Karl Lipsky of Lipsky Logging LLC. The structure was beyond repair when the land trust purchased the property from Jerry Kirchner’s estate in 2009 and finally succumbed under heavy snows earlier this year. Unfortunately, most of the sugaring equipment was also in poor condition and could not be salvaged, except for a small evaporator, which the land trust has retained.
Although we have said goodbye to Jerry’s old sugarhouse, there is the possibility that sap buckets and maple steam will once again return to Kirchner Woods. “Part of our mission is to conserve productive forestland, which means keeping our forests intact and using them wisely,” says land trust Conservation Program Manager, Kristen Sharpless. “We’ve got the opportunity at Kirchner Woods to show visitors firsthand how uses like sugaring and firewood cutting can help meet that goal when done carefully and with a long-term view.”
Next steps for the land trust will be conducting a feasibility study for a small-scale, demonstration sugaring operation and planning for some initial light cutting to improve maple growth and songbird habitat.
For more information contact Stowe Land Trust by calling (802) 253-7221 or sending an email to info@stowelandtrust.org.