Forests
ACC serves as the forest management authority for Amherst's town forests, comprising 11 major areas and totaling almost 1,800 acres. Our forests are generally categorized has hemlock-hardwood-pine or Appalachian oak-pine.
Most of these forests occur on abandoned agricultural land and are of similar age dating to a historic period of large-scale economic change in New Hampshire's land use.
As a result, forest management in Amherst focuses on diversifying the age structure of our forests to create a range of habitats for wildlife and to make our vegetation more resilient to pests and other stressors, including those associated with climate change.
Use our Habitats & Trails map to locate and identify forest types in town. You can even use this app on your smart phone while hiking.
Forest Management Plan
In 2020, ACC updated the forest management plan for Amherst. The plan seeks to achieve three objectives:
- Conserve biodiversity
- Maintain or improve recreational access
- Generate revenue
This will be accomplished via several interventions including the removal of invasive species and various harvest strategies. Take a few minutes for watch a video presentation of our forest management plan (right), or download and read the full plan.
ACC's policy on the use of herbicides to control invasive and noxious plants can be found here.
