Ragged Mountain Forest

Descriptions

Ragged Mountain Forest is a conserved property at the western base of Ragged Mountain in central New Hampshire. The property offers timber, recreation, and a private building envelope with long-distance views, all within minutes of Sunapee Lake and two popular ski resorts. Access is via a town-maintained, gravel road that bisects the parcel as it travels towards Ragged Mountain Resort. Electric power and other utilities extend along this road up to the parcel boundary.

The topography varies from flat near the parcel center to moderately steep on the east side of New Canada Road. As the terrain rises in elevation, serene ridgeline views open to the west. There are several small brooks and a small wetland. Overall, soils are well-drained throughout the majority of the parcel and conducive to year-round forest management. A 4-acre building lot is located on the west side of the road near the parcel center. The terrain slopes gently downward from the parcel boundary, allowing for long-distance views of the rolling countryside. The building lot has 200 of road frontage.

The forest supports a mix of white pine, eastern hemlock, red oak and a variety of hardwoods with good stem quality and a pole to small sawlog diameter distribution. Red maple and red oak dominate the hardwood species. Overall, there is nearly an equal mix of softwood and hardwood volume. The majority of the forest was thinned a few years ago, leaving a mix of age classes. Patch cuts of varying size are regenerating into early successional wildlife habitat, attracting deer, moose and bear, as well as a host of songbirds. Property-wide, Capital Timber Value (CTV) is $370,300.

With the exception of two small, unencumbered lots, the tract is conserved by a working forest easement held by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. The primary purposes of the easement are to keep the land undeveloped and preserve it for outdoor recreation. The conservation easement is compatible with managing a small timberland investment that will allow for reasonable financial returns while practicing sound forestry.