‘Walking Through Time in a Local Forest’ with Forester Charlie Moreno

Moose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG)and Branch Hill Farm/Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust (BHF/CSFCT) will offera free forestry workshop on Saturday, October 19 from 9:30 to noon at BranchHill Farm’s Salmon Falls Woodlands in Milton Mills. The natural history tour,titled ‘Walking Through Time in a Local Forest,’ will be led by consultingforester Charlie Moreno, who has offered many previous popular workshops forthese partner conservation organizations.

For this workshop, Charlie will lead participants on a walk along the trails through the Salmon Falls Woodlands and will invite you to take a simultaneous stroll through time. His goal is to share a long-range perspective of New England forests, offering a narrative of how the forest, wildlife and land have changed over millennia.

Along the way, Charlie will point out possible signs of early Native American use of this land as well as indicators of nineteenth century agricultural use. The main trail across the parcel was once the main road from Milton to Milton Mills, with historic landmarks, the Applebee cellar hole and cemetery. Rubbings of the old grave stones will be available.  The journey will also include stops showcasing characteristics of today’s sustainably-managed forest and a stop on the peninsula between the Branch and Salmon Falls rivers, where Charlie will discuss how glaciers shaped the land and how ice age geology still influences the forests of today.

As a consulting forester, Charlie Morenomanages over 30,000 acres of forests for private landowners, conservationorganizations, and communities in southern New Hampshire and Maine, includingthe BHF Salmon Falls Woodlands site of this workshop. He expects this naturalhistory workshop to be of interest to woodlot owners, natural history buffs,conservationists, and outdoor enthusiasts.

The workshop is free and the public is invited but pre-registration is required. For more information, directions, and to register, call Education Coordinator Kari Lygren at (603) 978-7125 or email mmrgnh@gmail.com. No pets, please.

Branch Hill Farm/the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust works to protect open space and working forests and to educate the public about sound forestry, conservation and agricultural practices; see www.branchillfarm.org.