The Clinton Conservation Commission and members of its appointed Rauscher Farm Management Subcommittee manage forest areas and oversee maintenance in keeping with guidance of a professionally prepared Forest Management Plan approved by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
Trained volunteers and supervised work parties maintain trails, monitor habitats to promote plant and wildlife diversity, and clear fallen trees and branches. Cut trees and branches are left to decay and become habitat near where they fell, but where they will not block trails or be hazards to visitors.
Tree Girdling
As you explore Rauscher Farm, you may see trees with rings of bark removed around their trunks. This is a technique called tree girdling, recommended in our forest management plan especially for areas where concentrations of white pines need to be selectively thinned so they don’t crowed out other desired trees, such as maples, oaks, and beeches.
Removing a ring of bark around the trunk severs a tree’s vascular cambium, preventing nutrients from moving from roots to leaves. The process produces deadwood (snags) which provide essential nesting and foraging sites for insects and birds.
Compared to felling trees, girdling is a slow process. It allows understory plants and desirable hardwoods to respond to more light and, over time, expand the forest’s diversity.