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January 26, 2004 |
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Snowshoeing at Frost Valley
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The Catskill Mountains host a variety of treasures that many people do not know about. Sure, everyone’s familiar with the forested slopes and summits, the immaculate streams, the fresh air, the untainted night sky, and the charming hamlets. But many people do not realize the treasures that exist for scientific and educational purposes. This past Saturday we led a hike for The Catskill Center to one of these resources that fills both niches, the Frost Valley Model Forest.
The Frost Valley YMCA is located on Ulster County Route 47, about 16 miles south of Big Indian. The Model Forest is not located at the main campus, but on the south side of the West Branch Neversink River, on the lower slopes of Wildcat Mountain. The Model Forest is the brainchild of the Watershed Agricultural Council’s Watershed Forestry Program and is funded through the USDA Forest Service and the NYCDEP. Another Model Forest has been completed in Delhi and two other sites are being developed, one in Mink Hollow in Woodstock, the other in the Town of Kent in Putnam County.
Our group of 12 met at 10am, strapped on our snowshoes, and embarked along the logging road despite the toe-numbing temperature of only seven degrees. The purpose of the Model Forest is to exhibit different types of forest management practices that landowners can carry out on their property to achieve their management goals without adversely impacting water quality.
We crossed the stream on a ‘portable’ skidder bridge that loggers can use to cross streams instead of driving through them. These bridges are removed upon completion. The access road climbed a small hill where some best management practices (BMPs) were being demonstrated. In addition to various types of culverts and ditches, we could just barely make out the top of a rubber strip through the snow. This strip, traversing the road at a 45-degree angle, acts as a deflector for stormwater, channeling it off the dirt road quickly, thus limiting erosion. Along the way signage explains the BMP’s as well as what silvicultural practices were conducted on the forest and why.
The first forest prescription we encountered was a strip clear-cut. Here the trees have all been cut; while on the other side of the road, a shelterwood regeneration method is being demonstrated. Other prescriptions highlighted include patch regeneration, singletree selection cuts, and control plots - where no harvesting is done. The USGS conducts water quality research on some of these plots to determine the water quality impacts of each method.
We continued along the trail, reading the various signs and looking at the snow-capped summit of Doubletop Mountain to the north. After three quarters of a mile we reached the spot where the State-owned Slide-Panther Mountain Wilderness Area borders the Model Forest. It is also at this point where Frost Valley’s Lower Wildcat Trail joins the road and loops back to the starting point. Although we were all very cold, some of us wanted to continue on for a bit, while others headed back using this loop trail as it skirted the hemlock-lined West Branch Neversink. The Model Forest road continues on for another 1.5-miles and comes out on Country Route 47, well below the main campus.
For those of you looking to explore the Frost Valley Model Forest, you must call to register at (845) 985-2291. Although not entirely finished yet, the completed Model Forest will provide a great resource for landowners and students to see first-hand examples of forest management and the benefits it can provide when done correctly. It will also provide its users with an enjoyable walk in the woods.
- Aaron and Chris
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