If you visit the Mountain in the next couple of months, you may notice more activity than you are used to, especially in the Chapel parking lot and our “back woods.” This is due to logging activity taking place.
The origins of this project date back to 2012, after Fr. Tom Conway, ofm, helped us acquire a grant from Holy Name Province to manage the roughly 350 acres of woods that we care for. Through that funding, a forestry plan was developed to best care for the land.
The Mountain Board of Trustees eventually hired Craig Vollmer, a certified forester, to help. Craig tells us stewardship is the keyword.
“The Mountain’s forest management plan gives the best guidance as to how to be caretakers of the land. We are promoting the growth of the most healthy trees, while removing invasive species that crowd out other trees’ ability to flourish. We are also removing the ash trees that will eventually be impacted by the Emerald Ash Borer, which has been destroying trees in the surrounding area.”
This project will also help us raise funds for future projects on the property. For some time there has been a desire to extend the parking lot near the Chapel, and this would be a good time to move forward.