Forest management activity on Sam's and Ruthie's
Brian Lafoe of Lafoe Logging will be doing the cutting. While this particular management activity is taking place on a private landowner’s property, Mr. Lafoe has performed management harvests for the Center and has won Northeast Region “Outstanding Logger” in 2020 by The Forest Resources Association in Washington, DC. The award is conferred for “outstanding independent logging performance” by a logging contractor.
A forest management related harvest is underway, continuing through next week in the vicinity of Ruthie's and Sam's.
Trail closures will be necessary - double-check the conditions board (craftsbury.com/dashboard) before skiing those trails.
Pay special attention to any signs on the trails.
When trails are open and equipment is present, give operators a wide berth - don't assume they can see you!
Closure dates are approximate and subject to change:
Ruthie's - Monday, February 6 and Wednesday, February 8. Ruthie's will be closed between the Black River and the intersection with Sam's (intersections 39 and 56 on the map).
Sam's - Monday, February 6 - Saturday, February 11. While harvest will be happening in different locations along Sam's during this time, the trail will be closed for the duration.
It's important to bear in mind that the ski trails Craftsbury maintains and grooms are predominantly on private land - including Ruthie's and Sam's. More than 105 generous landowners elect to share their land with the XC ski community thru the Center. It's thanks to their careful stewardship - including forest management work like harvesting - that Vermont and Craftsbury's unique working landscape of forest and agricultural land continues to exist and provide all of us with lumber, fuel, paper and all the other forest products everyone uses in daily life.
While we'll miss the trails for a couple days, it's great to know that with careful management, the forest around the trails will be healthy and productive for years to come.