Jack & Danielle Lochhead
It almost all ended over a photo ID. When the Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) was first introduced, Conway select board member Jack Lochhead joined a carpool of Conway landowners to the government offices in Hadley to learn more. The problem? Many in the group did not bring the proper identification to pass through security at the building.
Jack Lochhead weathered that first, trying event. Since then, the patience and persistence of he and his wife Danielle have helped them pass through the complexities of several forest management programs, putting them on a path to having woodlands that meet their needs and dreams.
“I’m a big fan of meadow-birds,” says Jack, who would ultimately like to see his 250 acres of woods and pastures in Conway begin to resemble what it looked like 200 or 300 years ago—a rich habitat of old-trees, younger forest and meadows. Enrolling in the Forest Stewardship Program and creating a 10-year-vision plan for his woods was a big step in the right direction, providing a thoughtful approach for selective timber harvesting that would create bird habitat and a multi-age forest. The land is also enrolled in Chapter 61, reducing the Lochhead’s tax burden, and helping them continue to own the land into the future.
Like most of the Highlands, the Lochhead’s property had been cut down for pasture land at various points in history. The result brought both problems and opportunities, for which Jack and Danielle chose to take an active approach to managing their land. “Its similar to a garden,” Jack says, “If I just let it grow as is, it’s going to become a tangled mess. None of the plants will really be able to reach their full potential.”
On a property crisscrossed by recreational trails that the community uses for hiking, skiing and horseback riding, and that supports a major snowmobile trail, the “tangled mess” threat exists from invasive species. What was once cow pasture along the South River was filled with Japanese knotweed and barberry, as well as honeysuckle and multiflora rose that blocked access and even views to the river. The Lochhead’s service forester, Mary Wigmore, also alerted the couple that the invasive plants in their woods had grown dense enough to damage trees.
With a backpack sprayer in hand, along with money from the federal Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP), Jack had the invasives in his woods under control in about two years. With $5,000 in additional WHIP funds and help from their forester, the Lochhead’s also developed an oak regeneration program on part of their property. The program calls for thinning competing trees around a handful of old oaks, allowing their progeny to grow. Additional funding insured that the Lochheads can now see the river from their property.
“Its been a good experience,” says Lochhead, looking back. “Consulting with our forester helped us understand the more technical aspects. Communicating well with our logger was also key, as many are unfamiliar with wildlife habitat management techniques.” He adds, “The folks at NRCS (who administer the WHIP program) were very helpful in getting through the rather complicated application process. If you’re relaxed and patient about it, they’ll guide you through it.” Though tackling some of the outdoor labor themselves may have had the greatest impact on the Lochheads. “We did a lot of things that we wouldn’t have otherwise done, and it really brought us closer to our land.”
