Hersey Mountain Easement

New Hampton & Sanbornton, NH 2,141 acres

Northeast Wilderness Trust holds a forever-wild easement on 2,141 acres in central New Hampshire owned by New England Forestry Foundation. This wild place is adjacent to 1,100 acres of forest actively managed for timber production. Together, this wilderness area and managed forest make up the Hersey Mountain Community Forest.

The Hersey Mountain Community Forest and its wilderness easement were established in 2007 and made possible thanks to Sweet Water Trust. The partnership between Northeast Wilderness Trust and New England Forestry Foundation at Hersey Mountain is a story of how passive and active management can complement one another—resulting in healthy, vibrant natural and human communities alike.

The Hersey Mountain wilderness straddles the New Hampton-Sanbornton town line, and is part of one of the largest unfragmented forest blocks in central New Hampshire. The Pemigewasset River arcs around the Community Forest to its west and north.

At 2,002 feet, Hersey Mountain itself sits at the center of this wilderness. Three major brooks flow from steep pockets in the mountain’s slopes. The land is predominantly forested, with northern hardwoods and oak-dominated natural communities. Higher elevations and steep rocky slopes with loose sediment support a smattering of rare and endangered plant species.

A 2003 ecological survey of Hersey Mountain Community Forest by Rick Van de Poll, Ph.D., revealed 42 vernal pools, 68 acres of old-growth forest, and 513 acres of Significant Ecological Areas. The survey also found 13 amphibian species, five reptile species, five fish species, 31 mammal species, 105 bird species, and 126 taxa of insects.

Find out more about visiting the Hersey Mountain Community Forest here.

Photography by Shelby Perry