Exploring Pelham NH's conservation areas, town forests, and private conservation areas
With 2700 + acres of conservation areas in Pelham, NH, nature abounds.
We love rambling around to see what's happening.
Advocacy
We are a group of Pelham, New Hampshire residents interested in exploring and protecting the town’s forests and conservation areas. Occasionally, we advocate for conservation projects and promote protection efforts.
Pelham Needs a Town-Wide Comprehensive Invasive Species Plan
Invasive plant species are becoming an increasing threat to New Hampshire municipalities including Pelham. If left unchecked, invasives can disrupt forest ecosystems, inhibit regeneration of native plants, create localized monocultures, choke waterways and cause structural damage to roads.
Ground-covering plants like glossy buckthorn create dense understory thickets shading out tree seedlings. Woody vines like Oriental bittersweet wrap tightly around mature tree trunks, cutting off their circulation. Japanese knotweed can quickly damage roads, septic systems, retaining walls, concrete, asphalt, and foundations. Japanese barberry is linked to higher Lyme disease risk where dense thickets create humid conditions that help ticks survive and multiply.
Pelham’s Forest Management Plans provide an inventory of invasive species found in the town’s conservation areas and town forests. Reports range from “none observed” to “prevalent,” showing that conditions vary widely from property to property.
The best time to act is when invasive populations are still small and easier to control. For example, the 2024 Forest Management Plan for Moose Pond Conservation Area notes that some invasives could be removed by hand pulling.
By contrast, the Wolven Conservation Area contains a long list of invasives found throughout the property. The area has already been treated twice with herbicide. The Forest Management Plan recommends yearly evaluation so the town can take steps to contain the infestation.
If invasives are left to spread, containment costs go up. In some cases, if the damage is high, the municipality or property owner has no choice but to tackle the problem.
To address this growing environmental threat, we are proposing that Pelham create a Comprehensive Invasive Species Management Plan similar to a recent plan created by the Town of Merrimack. Merrimack’s plan covers prevention, rapid response, restoration, state regulations, mapping, management techniques, and public outreach.
We feel Pelham could form a stakeholder group that would involve the Conservation Commission, Forestry Committee, Highway Department and others. Private groups such as Pond Associations and CTC/Pelham Pathways should also be involved. For instance, with 1100 members, Pelham Pathways can bring to the project a deep roster of volunteers, expertise, grant writing assistance and exploration of cost sharing opportunities.