Over 700,000 two and three year seedlings of pine and poplar are to be planted on the State Reservation this summer. The work, which is now in progress, is being done under the state Bureau of Forestry.
The tiny trees are planted in beds at first, and then, as they grow larger and stronger, are transplanted, being placed in spots best calculated to insure rapid and healthy growth.
With the latest acquisition of land by the state, the order of taking of which by the Department of Conservation was published in last week’s paper, the forest reserve on Martha’s Vineyard comprises about 5000 acres. Encircling the heath hen reservation, which consists of 640 acres, this tract extends over the eastern plain lands, the least valuable of any land on the Island.
Chris Bruno, formerly an assistant superintendent with The Trustees of Reservations, took the helm as superintendent of the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest last month.
Virginia Dautreuil, 35, started training Wednesday morning for her new role as superintendent of the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest. A Connecticut native, Ms. Dautreuil is the third person and first woman to hold the post.
The state conservation and recreation department is accepting applications for a superintendent following the sudden death of John J. Varkonda in late December. Mr. Varkonda was 55 and had been steward of the state forest for 26 years.
From a failed heath hen reservation to a red pine plantation gone wrong, the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest has weathered its share of management experiments.
In 2012, the forest’s plants and trees can breathe easy, as the forest recently has been designated as a state reserve by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
David Foster, Harvard University forest director and historian for the Correllus state forest, said the designation has guaranteed a better future of the forest.
Work began on the fire breaks in the Manuel F. Corellus State Forest
this week, with the blessing of the state attorney general but over the
protests of a watchdog group which promises to seek a court injunction
today.
The Department of Environmental Management's Division of
Forests and Parks has begun to implement a new management plan
for the 5,000-acre Manuel F. Correllus State Forest.
Concerned about the risk of forest fires, DEM, the state
agency responsible for managing the forest, has focused its
energies on clearing firebreaks or "safe zones" on the land's
perimeter and interior, a plan discussed for several years.
The state's fire control plans for the 5,200-acre Manuel F.
Corellus State Forest have come under attack by the scientific community
and the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a
watchdog organization. The advocacy group threatens possible legal
action to block state forest teams from clearing hundreds of acres of
woodland along strategic fire lines.
