Wilbur CPA ApplicationPine Brook Connector Acquisition 1
COMMUNITY PRESERVATION PROJECT APPLICATION COVER SHEET
I: Project Information
Project Title: Beaver Brook/Fitzgerald Lake Greenway: Pine Brook Connector Acquisition
Project Summary: CPA Funding is sought to acquire the 53-acre Wilbur property on
Boggy Meadow Road. The parcel includes a perennial stream, rich wetlands, upland
habitat, and serves as a critical segment of an existing wildlife corridor. It will fill in
another important piece of the complicated jigsaw puzzle of parcels that form the
Broad Brook-Fitzgerald Lake Greenway, the City’s largest (>900 acres) and most
visited conservation area.
Estimated start and completion date: 2021 for acquisition closing
CPA Program Area (check all that apply):
Open Space � Historic Preservation
� Community Housing Recreation
II: Applicant/Developer Information
Contact Person and or/primary applicant: Wayne Feiden
Property Owner (if applicable): Wilbur Family
Organization (if applicable): Northampton Conservation Commission and Office of
Planning and Sustainability
Mailing Address: City Hall, 210 Main Street, Second Floor
Daytime phone #: 413-587-1265 Fax #: 413-587-1264
E-mail address: wfeiden@northamptonma.gov
III: Budget Summary
Total budget for project: $150,000
CPA funding request: $75,600 if LAND grant application successful
CPA request as percentage of total budget: 43%
Applicant’s Signature:
Date Submitted: September 17, 2020_______________________
Pine Brook Connector Acquisition 2
Parcel Information
Cooke Avenue/Boggy Meadow Road, and via a right-of-way from Bridge Road
Acres: 53
Parcel ID’s: 18-001
Current Owner: David Williams Wilbur, Carol Ann Menke, Bruce Alan Wilbur, Jody
Elizabeth Kinner
Narrative
The acquisition of the 53-acre Wilbur property fills in another important piece of the
complicated jigsaw puzzle of parcels that form the Broad Brook-Fitzgerald Lake
Greenway, the City’s largest (>900 acres) and most visited conservation area. Bounded
by Boggy Meadow Road on the northeast, this land is surrounded on its northern half
by protected open space. Although the property lies outside of any Priority Habitat for
Rare Species, it does include a perennial stream, associated wetlands, and Critical
Supporting Landscape. This area provides habitat for many species in decline and
includes habitat for the endangered Bush’s Sedge (Carex bushii). From a recreational
standpoint, the acquistion ensures that Boggy Meadow Road will retain its sole status as
a trail and no longer be at-risk of conversion to a private driveway access, it includes a
trail with great views of a beaver pond. As part of the city’s planned recreational
network of trails that links many conservation areas and urban centers, this purchase
will allow us to build a trail much closer to the MassCentral Rail Trail and transit facilities
than currently possible in the Broad Brook-Fitzgerald Lake Greenway. New trails could
connect to the adjacent Lathrop property and connections to other trails within the
Broad Brook Greenway.
The topography on the site includes mostly level, rocky terrain, interrupted by bedrock
knobs and exposures and occasional valleys. A shallow, virtually level isolated wetland
occurs near the cemetery, while a larger perched wetland drains into the Pine Brook,
which cuts across the property. The stream is bounded by rocky outcrops in some
areas, but also flattens and meanders across a narrow alluvial floodplain that supports
richer soils and a more diverse flora. The stream bottom includes a mix of sand and
rounded cobbles, good hiding places for Northern Two-lined Salamanders. There are
four broadly defined natural community types on the property: Mixed Oak Forest;
Swamp White Oak “perched” swamp; Red Oak-Sugar Maple Transition Forest, and
Shallow Marsh. Swamp White Oak is restricted to the Connecticut River Valley in
Massachusetts, and within Northampton, this community type is known from less than
six sites, most of them concentrated in the Broad Brook-Fitzgerald Lake Greenway.
These wetlands are underlain by lake bottom clays, overtopped with sandier soils. On
the Wilbur site, these wetlands, while relatively small, significantly increase the
property’s overall plant diversity.
Pine Brook Connector Acquisition 3
In 2014 beavers returned to Pine Brook and established a dam, which now floods about
20 acres. The beavers’ activity transformed the landscape; what was once a red maple
swamp is now a broad pond, full of dead red maple trunks. The vegetation along the
newly created shorelines varies with light levels and disturbance: some are open, while
others are thick with sedges, grasses and other herbaceous species. Some areas are
suitable habitat for Bush’s sedge, a state-endangered species that was historically found
in the vicinity. This area is a boon for wildlife. Wood ducks, great blue herons and
Canada geese with young and heard green frogs, bullfrogs, kingfishers, green herons,
red-winged blackbirds and more, were all observed on a single visit in June 2020, and it
is a small but important haven for migratory birds.
This acquisition is in accordance with long-term open space goals set forth in the City’s
Open Space, Recreation, and Multi Use Trail Plan. It also helps fulfils the goals of
the Municipal Vulnerability Plan’s Northampton Designs with Nature project, that seeks
to use natural systems to retain and treat stormwater, and the goals of the
Northampton Climate Resiliency and Regeneration Plan, that identifies and climate
adaptation plans for Northampton. This project is part of a larger landscape
conservation initiative, and will help further goals and objectives identified in statewide,
regional, and local conservation and habitat management reports.
Protection of this property will help the City to advance climate change mitigation and
resiliency goals. The current owners have logged it periodically over a period of years.
While this was always done carefully, in consultation with foresters, carbon sequestration
had not been a factor in forestry considerations. We are incorporating carbon
sequestration and storage into new Forest Stewardship Plans and management decisions.
The property includes hemlock and ash, both species that are in decline due to adelgid and
ash borer infestations. Climate change resiliency will guide our decisions on dealing with
the impacts of this canopy loss. The initial reaches of Pine Brook, a wooded, perennial
stream meander through the property, and the stream also includes perched wetlands and
a beaver-influenced pond. Downstream, however, Pine Brook becomes a flashy system as
its banks and floodplain is influenced by development. A natural gas main is located at
Pine Brook’s confluence with Hatfield Street, and emergency work has been necessary
several times in the past to repair stream-related damage to the roadway and protect the
gas infrastructure. Further downstream, the stream becomes a piped system, flowing
underneath a parking area, Route 91, and a rail corridor. Emergency repairs to the 91
median were necessary recently to address a sinkhole above the piped Brook and protect
the highway. Permanent protection of this critical upstream area, and the nature-based
stormwater risk mitigation it provides, will have a real and measurable impact.
The project meets several Community Preservation general criteria:
Contributes to the preservation of Northampton’s unique character, boosts the vitality of
the community, and enhances the quality of life for its residents
Part of Northampton’s character is the amount and diverse types of open space
and recreation opportunities available throughout the City. This acquisition will
Pine Brook Connector Acquisition 4
fill a gap in the Greenway, and will create an important new access from Bridge
Road, which will make the City’s most-visited Greenway and the trails and
experiences it contains walkable to an additional 52 residents within 1/4 mile,
and 977 within a half mile., including a significant environmental justice area.
Addresses recommendations contained in the Sustainable Northampton comprehensive
plan and/or the Open Space, Recreation, and Mixed Use Trail Plan 2018-2025 or is
consistent with other city-wide planning efforts that have received broad-based scrutiny
and input and can demonstrate wide community support
The project will also address several of ‘the most pressing open space and
recreation needs’ identified in the Open Space Plan. These are:
• Passive recreation opportunities throughout the city
• Linkage and augmentation of open space parcels, to provide for passive
recreation and wildlife movement between large natural habitat areas.
• Protection of vistas and “viewsheds.”
• Acquisition for permanent protection of a range of critical and natural plant and
animal habitats, including:
• Wetlands
• Rare or endangered species habitat
• Riparian lands along the Connecticut, Mill, and Manhan Rivers and other
rivers and major streams
• Preservation of open space parcels that help define Northampton’s character,
including parcels at the “entrances” to the city and parcels that limit the
expansion of development into previously rural areas.
• Protection of farmland, forestland, and the rural character of outlying areas.
• Encouraging or requiring that development is sensitive to ecological resources,
vistas, and open space.
• Protection of key parcels in the last remaining large undeveloped areas of town –
Broad Brook and Beaver Brook Watersheds, Marble Brook Watershed, Saw Mill
Hills, Mineral Hills, and the Meadows
Saves resources that would otherwise be threatened
If not protected, the parcel could serve as a private driveway access, and public
access would be forever lost.
Receives endorsement by community groups, municipal boards and/or departments
The application is presented by the Conservation Commission and Office of
Planning and Sustainability. It is also supported by the Kestrel Land Trust and
Broad Brook Coalitiomn.
Leverages additional public and/or private funds, or demonstrates that other funding
sources are not readily available or sufficient
We have applied for a Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity grant to fund
acquisition of the property. We are optimistic about the award, but these are
Pine Brook Connector Acquisition 5
competitive grants and other projects across the state also score very well. If
the LAND grant is received we will need to match the award with $65,000 locally.
If the LAND application is not successful, we are requesting the full amount of
the purchase price in CPA funds; $150,000.
Can be implemented expeditiously and within budget
We will be ready to close as soon as all funding is received.
The Project also meets several of the Open Space Evaluation Criteria:
Preserve valuable surface water resources, including rivers, streams, lakes, ponds,
wetlands, buffer zones, vernal pools and riparian zones
Pine Brook courses through the property, and the parcel also includes wetlands a
portions of a large beaver pond
Provide opportunities for passive recreation and environmental education
Preserve large strategic tracts of undeveloped land and parcels adjacent to existing
permanently protected open space
Promote the creative use of former railway, waterways and other corridors, including
connecting corridors, to create safe and healthful non-motorized transportation and
exercise opportunities
Community Need/Protections/Project Feasibility and Success
The project will protect sensitive ecological resources, land for passive recreation, and
invaluable historic landscapes. All of these resources are identified as priorities in the
Open Space and Recreation Plan.
A permanent conservation restriction to be held by the Kestrel Land Trust will be placed
on the property once acquired.
Pine Brook Connector Acquisition 6
Project Budget:
We have a $150,000 purchase and sale for the property, and have applied for a
LAND grant, which has a 64% reimbursement rate. If the application is
successful, the required $65,000 match, plus $10,600 for stewardship costs is
requested. If not, we will ask for the full $150,000 for acquisition and $10,600
for stewardship.
ATTACHMENTS:
Maps
Ecological Assessment
TrinityRow Park
BroadBrook-FitzgeraldLake Greenway
BarrettSt. MarshGreenway
Broad Brook -Fitzgerald LakeGreenway
ConnecticutRiver Greenway
FlorenceGreenway
Mass CentralRail Trail
Broad BrookGreenway
Parcel ID:18 -001
UV9
UV10
£¤5 §¨¦91
§¨¦91
Arcanum FieldRecreation Area
E01,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000500 Feet
NORTHAMPTON
Parcel ID:
18 -001
E01,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000500 Feet
NORTHAMPTON
1
Natural & Human History of the Wilbur Property, Northampton, MA
Prepared by Laurie Sanders, M.S.
Conservation Works, LLC
1 July 2020
Summary
The acquisition of the 53-acre
Wilbur property fills in another
important piece of the
complicated jigsaw puzzle of
parcels that form the Broad
Brook-Fitzgerald Lake
Greenway, the City’s largest
(>900 acres) and most visited
conservation area. Bounded
by Boggy Meadow Road on
the northeast, this land is
surrounded on its northern
half by protected open space.
To the south, the future use
of the abutting parcels is
mostly known: the Lathrop
Community is fully built out
and the cemetery land’s use is designated
(Figure 1).
Most of the property is forested, rocky
uplands, much of which was timbered
during a 2018 shelterwood cut that created
multiple small openings that are now
succeeding into thickets. In addition, the
property includes a wooded stream (Pine
Brook), two areas with perched wetlands,
and part of a beaver pond and shallow
marsh. Collectively, these habitats support a
higher-than-expected number of plant
species, which in turn increase its animal
diversity. In addition, the land’s location,
not far from the Connecticut River,
heightens its value for migratory birds and
the property’s position within a larger block
of protected land makes it of greater value
to wildlife with larger home ranges, e.g.
bear, moose, bobcat and forest specialists,
like wood thrushes and scarlet tanagers.
Wilbur
Figure 1. The Wilbur property is located not far from the Connecticut River and walking
distance to Fitzgerald Lake.
A small cove of open water and shallow marsh on the Wilbur property. This area
connects to a much larger marsh, which can be seen in the distance and is
readily visible from Boggy Meadow Road. A beaver deceiver was installed at this
beaver dam to regulate the water level. From here, Pine Brook flows almost due
south, through the Lathrop property, under Cooke Avenue and then through a
culvert below the Big Y parking lot, Route 91 and the RR tracks before
daylighting near the horseshoe bend in the Connecticut River.
Lathrop
Cemetery
Fitzgerald
Lake
2
Although the property lies
outside of any Priority
Habitat for Rare Species
(dark green), it does include
Critical Supporting Landscape
(light green with hatching
and dark blue) (Figure 3).
Furthermore, this area
provides habitat for many
species in decline and also
appears to include suitable
habitat for the endangered
Bush’s Sedge (Carex bushii).
When it comes to
management concerns,
most of the property is free
of invasive plants. Of the
invasive species present, the most widespread is Asiatic bittersweet. Other invasive plants on the site include, in
order of frequency, multiflora rose, garlic mustard, Japanese barberry, winged euonymus, Morrow’s
honeysuckle, tree-of-heaven, autumn olive, Amur corktree, glossy buckthorn, Norway maple, winter creeper,
myrtle and ragged robin. The highest concentrations
of invasive plants occur along Boggy Meadow Road
and in the property’s southeast corner, near the
boundary between the Lathrop property and the
cemetery land owned by the Roman Catholic Bishop
of Springfield. Other occurrences are isolated and
show up along the stream corridor, in the clearings
created through the recent timber operation and on
some of the rocky knobs.
Figure 3. The north end of the Wilbur property (yellow) includes Critical Natural Landscape
Habitat and supports species in decline, like the green heron in the photo.
Above, one of many young tree-of-heaven saplings (Ailanthus
altissima) found growing in the sunny clearings that were
created during the 2018 timber harvest. In the foreground is
another non-native, one of two stems of woodland figwort
(Scrophularia nodosa) found on the property. Left, a single
Amur corktree (Phellodendron amurense) was found growing
near the beaver pond. Both tree-of-heaven and corktree
should be controlled.
3
From a recreational standpoint, the protection of the
property has multiple benefits. It ensures that (1) Boggy
Meadow Road will retain its sole status as a trail (vs trail
+ private driveway access), (2) incorporates a short foot
trail with great views of the beaver pond, and (3) has the
capacity for additional trails. New trails could connect to
the adjacent Lathrop property, via a new public access
point near the cemetery, and/or by improving the old
skid roads created during the 2018 timber harvest, with
connections to Boggy Meadow Road, the cemetery or
Lathrop property.
A final aspect of significance is this parcel’s ownership
history. At this point, the ownership records have been
traced back to the mid-1800s and past owners include
some of Northampton’s most noteworthy residents .
****
The remainder of this report includes more detailed
descriptions of the property’s geology, ownership
history, and habitat characteristics.
Above, Boggy Meadow Road, which borders the property, is
one of the primary access points into the Broad Brook-
Fitzgerald Lake Greenway and links to miles of walking trails.
Below, an unofficial foot path from Boggy Meadow Road heads
on to the Wilbur property. Located next to the beaver pond,
the trail goes over rocky knobs and includes excellent vistas
and vantage points. The trail ends after ¼ mile, but could easily
be extended.
One of two great blue heron nests observed in the large beaver pond
on abutting City-owned conservation land. In 1993 this area was in
private ownership and was a dense red maple swamp. Back in the
1800s it had been cleared and was a “boggy meadow”. Times change!
4
Bedrock Geology
The 53-acres that form the Wilbur
property are underlain by 420-360
million year old igneous rock
known as monzodiorite (green in
image), which is also regularly
exposed at the surface as bedrock
knobs and small outcrops.
Composed of a mix of feldspars,
biotite, hornblende and a small
amount of quartz, it formed as a
pluton, a giant mass of magma that
intruded older metamorphic rock
and then slowly cooled and
crystallized deep below the earth’s
surface. Over the last ~400 million
years, this once-deeply buried rock
formation has been exposed
through erosion and weathering.
In addition to monzodiorite, portions of the
Wilbur parcel are covered with reddish sands
and gravels, probably glacially derived from an
extensive and much younger sedimentary rock
formation (only ~200 mya) found to the north,
east and south of the property. The evidence
for this is the presence of red, iron-stained
sands, which can be found along the lower
sections of Pine Brook, not far from the border
with the Lathrop property. The red sandstone,
clearly exposed in outcrops along Rt. 91 just
north of the Deerfield River, was deposited
when the giant supercontinent of Pangaea split
apart and caused the incipient rift valley that
underlies and predates the Connecticut River
Valley.
The composition of the two bedrock types and
their weathered derivatives are significantly
different and help explain the suite of plants
they support. The soils derived from the
monzodiorite, for instance, are more acidic
than those formed from weathered sandstone.
Figure 4. This image shows the approximate location of the contact zone between older
igneous rock (green) and younger sedimentary rock (gray).
Above, exposures of local bedrock as well as large boulders carried
south by the glacier are common on the property. They provide some
variation to the topography, where elevations range from 220-264
feet above sea level. Below, reddish sands along the stream show
that sedimentary sandstone is nearby.
5
Continental Glaciation, Glacial Lake Hitchcock & Current Surficial Geology
If we could go back in time and
visit Northampton 20,000 years
ago, we’d find ourselves in an
entirely unrecognizable
landscape—all of the features we
know would be hidden below a
mile or more of ice.
About 18,000 years ago, the
climate changed and the
continental glacier began melting.
As the ice retreated, some of the
topographic features that are now
familiar landmarks like Mount
Tom and Mount Holyoke were
revealed. As the glacier melted,
the unconsolidated boulders,
cobbles, gravels and sands that
had been carried and pushed along were left behind. This layer of unsorted material is known as till and, as
shown on the graphic above, all of the Wilbur site is covered with a thin veneer of till (green) and most of it has
bedrock close to or exposed at the surface (horizontal red hatching).
As the glacier continued to melt, a dam of glacial
debris formed in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and around
15,500 years ago, a long, narrow glacial lake known
as Glacial Lake Hitchcock filled the Connecticut River
Valley, extending from Rocky Hill, CT to White River
Junction, VT. At the lake’s maximum height, the
Wilbur property would have been covered by 40 to
50 feet of water (aquamarine color). After the dam
in Rocky Hill let go, the lake dropped to a lower level
(darker blue).
Glacial Lake Hitchcock lasted about 3,000 years, and
since its disappearance ~ 10,000 years ago, the thin
veneer of silts, clays and sands that were deposited
in the uplands have washed into the low-lying
depressions. This helped create the perched
wetlands found at this site and, due to the presence
of clays, led to pockets with more fertile conditions.
This glacial history is the reason why this site
includes wetlands with swamp white oak and richer
soils where sugar maple, ironwood, hornbeam,
silvery spleenwort and miterwort also occur.
Figure 5. Till deposits (green) and bedrock exposures (horizontal red hatching) cover the
Wilbur property.
Figure 6. The location of the Wilbur property (outlined in red )
and the rest of the Fitzgerald Lake (yellow) during the stages of
Glacial Lake Hitchcock.
6
Had Glacial Lake Hitchcock and its accompanying fine sediments not covered this area, the flora of this site
would be much less diverse. These richer pockets, however, make up only a very small fraction of the site.
According to the NRCS soils map, 98% of the site is characterized by droughty, acidic, nutrient-poor Charlton-
Rock Outcrop-Hollis soils, with 8-15% slopes. The remaining soils are either loamy sand (near the cemetery and
part of a former glacial delta) or the more recent silt-loam deposits in wetland areas. (Appendix 1-Soils).
Topography
The topography on the site includes mostly level, rocky terrain, interrupted by bedrock knobs and exposures and
occasional valleys. A shallow, virtually level isolated wetland occurs near the cemetery, while a larger perched
wetland drains into the Pine Brook, which cuts across the property. The stream is bounded by rocky outcrops in
some areas, but also flattens and meanders across a narrow alluvial floodplain that supports richer soils and a
more diverse flora. The stream bottom includes a mix of sand and rounded cobbles, good hiding places for
Northern Two-lined Salamanders.
Ownership History
The ownership history has been traced to 1847, when the land was
acquired by Samuel Hill, Samuel Parsons and Joseph Conant for
$2,500 from Julia and Sarah Clarke (Book 119, p. 498). At that
time, the land was described as bounded by Slough Hill Road (long
since abandoned and no longer visible), Boggy Meadow Road
(which led to a farm and pasture that we now know as Cooke’s
pasture) and Millstone Mountain Road (now known as Quarry
Road). The sisters had received the land through the will of their
father, Christopher Clarke. Sometime after this, Hill, Parsons and
Conant gave the land to another Northampton resident, Harrison
Otis Apthorp. When, how or why this happened remains unknown.
By the late 1830s, Apthorp had moved to Northampton and
in 1841, he married Helen Maria Clarke, the older sister of
Julia and Sarah (mentioned above) and Christopher Clarke
(the 2nd) who, among his many accomplishments was
instrumental in booking Jenny Lind in Northampton,
protecting Pulaski Park, securing the funds for Memorial Hall,
advocating for forests and trees, and helping with the
preservation of Mount Tom, Mount Sugarloaf and Mount
Holyoke (among others). Helen Maria was also the niece of
John Clarke, who founded the Clarke School for the Deaf.
Apthorp was a graduate of Bowdoin, an elocutionist, and
French teacher. He did everything from sell apples and pianos
to rent houses and buy and sell land. He donated funds to the
Civil War effort and was among the City’s highest taxpayers.
7
In 1866, three years after H.O. Apthorp’s death, his eldest son, the executor of his will, sold the “Wilbur” land to
Thomas Munroe Shepherd for the sum of … one dollar! Again, how or why this transaction occurred like this is a
mystery. Perhaps it was used as collateral for an outstanding debt that the elder Apthorp had with Shepherd?
The answer, at this point, is unknown.
Like Apthorp, Shepherd was part of a prominent family, with long ties to Northampton. He and his wife, Edith
Carpenter Shepherd, lived in his boyhood home at 66 Bridge Street, which is now part of Historic Northampton.
Shepherd was a banker by profession, but he was also an accomplished artist. In 1883, he designed the City seal,
which is still used today.
After Thomas Shepherd died in 1923, Edith held
on to the land. Like her husband, she was
keenly interested in local history and thanks to
her efforts, Historic Northampton now owns all
three houses and barn that form its campus.
When Edith died in 1969, the remains of
Thomas Shepherd’s Trust was used to fund the
Historical Society’s first paid staff.
In 1975, the bank holding the Trust’s remaining
assets sold this parcel for $36,000 to Keith and
Ruth Wilbur, both of whom had known Edith
and like her, were passionate about local
history. According to their daughters (pers.
comm. Jody Kinner and Carol Menke), their parents purchased the
land as a place to reconstruct local historic homes that were slated
to be demolished. The couple soon realized that the site was not
ideally suited for this purpose and decided instead to begin planting
trees and use the property as a place for family excursions and
picnics. At that time, Keith was also the head of the newly formed
Northampton Historical Commission and Ruth was the director of
the Northampton Historical Society. Wilbur, who was a doctor at
Cooley Dickinson Hospital and the Smith College Infirmary,
authored and illustrated 14 books on local history and medicine,
built a dugout canoe, and among his many accomplishments,
carved a bust of Jonathan Edwards that traveled the country. In the
1970s, he also played an instrumental role in championing the
preservation of Northampton’s 19th century buildings. Ruth,
meanwhile, established professional standards at the Historical Society, organized the collection, opened the
historic houses for tours, and developed an active programming schedule that included a school curriculum.
In 1994, the couple deeded the land to their four children, who have retained it ever since. In 2002 the Wilbur
family filed a court case against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield to assert their rights to access the
property via the former Slough Hill Road along the cemetery.
“My parents bought the property because
my father wanted to save old homes from
being torn down. He thought it would be
great to move those homes to the
property. I think he learned pretty quickly
that it would be very costly to do that. But
he loved the property so he turned it into a
tree farm. I remember helping him plant
white pines I think they were. … It is a
beautiful piece of land. We have tried hard
to care for it and follow the forestry
plan. We still just go for walks there!”
Jody Wilbur Kinner, June 21, 2020 via email.
8
N
In 2011, City of Northampton planner Wayne Feiden approached the Wilbur family about selling the land for
conservation (pers. comm, Wayne Feiden). The family wasn’t interested at the time, but Feiden call ed “every
couple of years” to inquire.
In 2017 a forest cutting plan was prepared and the family had the timber, mostly white pine and oaks, harvested
(Figure 7). After the cut was completed in 2018, the family put the land up for sale and in 2020 the four agreed
to sell all 53-acres to the City.
Fig. 7. Today the land is currently considered Prime 3 Forest Land.
Although marketed as potential pasturage
in 1847, the land has been forested since at
least 1958 (photo). Since the Wilbur family
purchased the land in 1975, they have
managed the forest as a tree farm and for
timber. The dashed line is a rough
approximation of the property’s boundaries.
Note that the forested area to the south;
today it is open and functioning as a
cemetery. Meanwhile much of what’s now
the beaver pond was then an open pasture.
Photo courtesy: University of Massachusetts
Amherst. Department of Forestry and Wildlife
Management. Hampshire County: aerial
photograph, July 17, 1958. William P. MacConnell
Aerial Photograph Collection (FS 190). Special
Collections and University Archives, University of
Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. dpb-2t-11 July
17, 1958.
9
Habitat Descriptions
Using the MA Natural
Communities Classifications
Guide (Swain & Kearsley, 2000),
there are four broadly defined
natural community types on the
property: (1) Mixed Oak Forest;
(2) Swamp White Oak
“perched” swamp; (3) Red Oak-
Sugar Maple Transition Forest,
and (4) Shallow Marsh (Figure
8). These boundaries are rough
and were generated following a
single visit on June 22, 2020.
***
Mixed Oak Forest (1) covers
virtually all of the upland areas,
or about 80% of the site. The
canopy includes a mix of oak
species, most commonly red
oak (Quercus rubra), black oak
(Q. velutina), and white oak (Q.
alba), with lesser amounts of
scarlet oak (Q. coccinea) and on
some of the drier rocky
outcrops, chestnut oak (Q.
prinus). Other hardwoods in the
canopy are hickory (Carya spp.),
red maple (Acer rubrum) and
black birch (Betula lenta). White pine (Pinus strobus) is also common, but not nearly as widespread as the oak.
Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) occurs infrequently in the uplands, and is concentrated along the lower stream
corridor. As expected, it is infested with wooly adelgid.
In the areas where the harvest was light or didn’t occur, the understory includes beaked hazelnut (Corylus
cornuta), witch hazel (Hammamelis virginiana), maple-leaved viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), ironwood
(Carpinus caroliniana), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and chestnut (Castanea americana). The most common
herbaceous species are wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), starflower
(Trientalis virginiana), common wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata), Canada mayflower (Maianthemum
canadense), dewberry (Rubus sp.), Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica) and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus
virginiana). The most common ferns are hay-scented (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), New York (Thelypteris
novaeboracensis) and bracken (Pteridium aquilinum); in wetter spots, sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis),
interrupted fern (Osmunda claytoniana) and cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) are common.
1
2a
4
2b
1
Cemetery
3
Fig. 7. The property outline, with topography and locations of four natural
communities.
10
Because of the 2018 shelterwood cut, the
property now includes frequent openings,
especially near the center. Where the
disturbance was most intense and the
clearings are larger, the landscape is now
dominated by hay scented fern, blackberry
(Rubus sp.), pokeweed (Phytolacca
americana), sweet fern (Comptonia
peregrina) black huckleberry (Gaylussacia
baccata), black locust (Robinia
psuedoacacia) and lots of young black
birch. It was in these more disturbed areas
where several young saplings of Tree-of-
Heaven were (alarmingly) observed;
multiflora rose and Japanese barberry were
also present. In less disturbed sites,
huckleberry (Gaylusaccia baccata) and
blueberries (Vaccinium pallidum, V.
angustifolium) are abundant. Other
regularly encountered species include
whorled loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia), hog peanut (Amphicarpa bracteata), Indian cucumber root
(Medeola virginiana), and in wetter areas, jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), poison ivy (Toxicodendron
radicans) and spotted touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis). Asiatic bittersweet can be a pest in these areas.
This Google Earth image of the site from December 2001 shows the
uneven distribution of white pine and hemlock across the site.
Source: Google Earth
These images show how varied the look
and species composition of the upland
forest is, especially in areas where
logging recently occurred.
11
Left to right, While this property has been forested for decades, the adjacent property - the Boggy Meadow—was
cleared and open during the 19th century when its peat was harvested for fuel for the brickworks off North Elm Street.
The barbed wire indicates that it was used to pasture animals too. (Center) Rock outcrops are common throughout the
property. (Right) Polypody fern grows in abundance along the slope of a rock exposure.
Left to right, Blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum) is one of the most common woody
plants in the upland areas. (Center) Bristly dewberry is common where the soils are
partially wet or shaded, and often where there was a disturbance. (Right) Mountain
laurel occurs on the site, but is not as common as expected.
The new clearings in the property’s southeast corner is much more impacted by invasive plants than the rest of the
acreage. (Left) Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) winds over the vegetation. (Right) Not far away grows a patch
of Japanese meadowsweet (Spiraea japonica), which has naturalized in the forest and may be a cast off garden plant
from the nearby Lathrop community.
12
Swamp White Oak “Perched” Wetland (2a and 2b)
In Massachusetts, this natural community type is restricted to the
Connecticut River Valley and within Northampton, this
community type is known from less than six sites, most of them
concentrated in the Broad Brook-Fitzgerald Lake Greenway. These
wetlands are underlain by lake bottom clays, overtopped with
sandier soils. On the Wilbur site, these wetlands, while relatively
small, significantly increase the property’s overall plant diversity.
2a (Figure 7) is a significantly larger and more diverse than 2b and
drains to Pine Brook. It supports red maple, swamp white oak, pin
oak (Quercus palustris), hemlock, shagbark hickory (Carya ovata),
black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) and ash (Fraxinus sp.) in the canopy.
The understory vegetation was dominated by a variety of sedges
and grasses, as well as sensitive fern and false nettle (Boehmeria
cylindrica); in the shrub layer, winterberry (Ilex verticillata),
arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum) and ironwood were common.
Other plants of interest found only in this area on the property
included woodland horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum) and golden
ragwort (Senecio aureus).
2b is a smaller, isolated depression that is dominated by broad
patches of bare, wet organic soils, plus swaths of sedges, grasses,
wool grass, ferns and other herbaceous plants (skunk cabbage
(Symplocarpus foetidus), Virginia creeper, violets (Viola spp.),
fringed loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata), jack-in-the pulpit,
bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara)). The canopy
includes black ash (Fraxinus nigra), swamp white oak, slippery elm
(Ulmus rubra), and an abundance of red maple and red oak. The
shrub layer is dominated by winterberry, arrowwood and high
bush blueberry (Vaccinium
corymbosum). This area also had
been disturbed and Asiatic
bittersweet was common.
13
Red Oak-Sugar Maple Transition (3)
This community type is associated with the alluvial stream and adjacent perched wetland. It is one of the few
sites where plants like sugar maple (Acer saccharum) can be found. Yellow birch (Betula lutea), ironwood, and a
variety of herbaceous plants not seen elsewhere on the property occur in this small, richer pocket. Some of the
other plants are jumpseed (Persicaria virginiana), hellebore (Veratrum viride), Virginia creeper, halberd-leaved
tearthumb (Persicaria arifolium), clearweed (Pilea pumila), silvery spleenwort (Deparia acrostichoides), crested
shield fern (Dryopteris cristata), Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), mad-dog skullcap (Scutellaria
lateriflora), and a variety of sedges. The shrubs include winterberry, ironwood, as well as less commonly seen
species on this property, like speckled alder (Alnus rugosa), flowering dogwood (Benthamidia florida), and
spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Unfortunately there are also some invasive plants in this corridor, including
Japanese barberry, winged
Euonymus (Euonymus alatus),
and garlic mustard (Alliaria
petiolata.)
These images show the variety
of microhabitats along Pine
Brook, including seepy
drainages, lusher alluvial
“floodplains”, meanders and
variations along the stream
corridor.
14
Shallow Marsh and Beaver Impoundment (4)
Sometime around 2014 beavers arrived on Pine Brook and
established a dam, which now floods about 20 acres. Most of the
flooding is on city-owned conservation land, but about ½ an acre is
on the Wilbur property. The beavers’ activity transformed the
landscape; what was once a red maple swamp is now a broad pond,
full of dead red maple trunks. The vegetation along the newly
created shorelines varies with light levels and disturbance: some are
open, while others are thick with sedges, grasses and other
herbaceous species. It is possible that some area within this stretch
might be suitable habitat for Bush’s sedge, a state-endangered
species that was historically found in the vicinity.
On the Wilbur property, the vegetation surrounding the open water
is rife with sedges, grasses, cattails (Typha latifolia), swamp candles
(Lysimachia terrestris) goldenrods (Solidago spp), asters and rushes.
This is also, unfortunately, a few stems of Canada thistle (Cirsium
canadense) and two corktree saplings that have gotten a toe hold.
The open water portion is covered with water shield (Brasenia
scheberi), cow lily (Nuphar sp.), duckweed (Lemna sp) and in a few
places, bladderworts (Utricularia sp).
This area is a boon for wildlife. During my brief visit I saw wood
ducks, great blue herons and Canada geese with young and heard
green frogs, bullfrogs, kingfishers, green herons, red-winged
blackbirds and more.
15
Acknowledgments: Thank you to Wayne Feiden for providing supplementary resources and information; to Jody
Kinner and Carol Menke, for the information about their parents, Ruth and Keith Wilbur; to Barbara Pelissier for
historical research; to Pete Westover for the creation of maps; and to Arthur Haines for the identification of
Scrophularia nodosa. Andrew Kuether created the map depicting changing levels of glacial Lake Hitchcock. I am
grateful to Fred Morrison and Lydia Morrison for comments and edits.
Swain, Patricia C. and Jennifer B. Kearsley. 2000. DRAFT-Classification of Natural Communities in Massachusetts.
MA NHESP. Westborough, MA.
University of Massachusetts Amherst. Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management. Hampshire County:
aerial photograph, July 17, 1958. William P. MacConnell Aerial Photograph Collection (FS 190). Special
Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
The decaying remains of a stump from an earlier timber
harvest, probably 15 or more years ago.
White pine stump from the 2018 cut.
Book 119 p 498‐499
Book 419 p 66‐68