Downtown Montpelier, located 6 miles to the east, is the hub of the region and offers numerous shops and restaurants, a lively cultural scene, several colleges, state government and an array of employers. Outdoor recreation is a popular pastime with numerous hiking and biking trails throughout the region, and 4 alpine ski areas within an hour's drive. Burlington, the state's largest city, is a 40-minute drive to the northwest. Boston is 3 hours southeast of the property.

Locally, homes are scattered along Ward Brook Road, which dead-ends not far beyond the property.

Access

Access is provided by 2,145' of frontage along Ward Brook Road, where Kelly Brook runs between the road and the property. While Kelly Brook runs year round, it is fairly narrow, allowing for the construction of a temporary or permanent stream crossing. Currently, there is no stream crossing onto the land; the current ownership traditionally parked on the road at the center of its frontage.

A solid network of woods trails traverse much of the terrain. Electric power and telephone lines run along the road frontage.

Site Description

The land is all forested, with terrain moderately sloping uphill from the road frontage to the higher ground at the back of the property. Here, the land levels out, but undulates in spots around rock outcrops and an occasional vernal pool. The terrain is easy to walk and quite compatible to recreational activities and future woodland management.

Soils are well drained and productive in most areas; however, rock outcroppings are common and poorly-drained pockets are found where the land levels out to the north. Elevation ranges from 700' along Kelly Brook to 1,160' at the northwestern corner. A southern aspect prevails, with an intermittent stream nearly bisecting the land.

Timber

The timber resource is the centerpiece of the property. Species composition is dominated by sugar maple, American beech, red maple, white ash, cherry and pockets of scatted, large-diameter white pine. Stem quality of the maple, ash and cherry is high, providing very good asset appreciation potential in the coming decades for these species. The timber resource is a classic example of a three-aged stand. Generally, three age classes exist: a younger age class of 25 years, a middle age class of 45 years and an older age class of 75+ years.

The maple resource density appears to support a small sugarbush opportunity with 50 taps per acre possible. The slope is ideal for a sugarbush, as it runs down to the road and electric power. No timber data is available, however a management plan for the property is available upon request.