Towle Family Forest
Location: Hollis
Year Acquired: 2019
Acreage: 41
Donor: Arlene O. Towle
Description: This wooded parcel on the Saco River is the first property the organization has acquired in York County. Everett Towle, the longest-serving Maine Woodland Owners board President, had purchased the land in 2011 from the estate of Harland Goff, a friend of the Towles. The property moved to the family trust after Everett’s death in 2017 with a plan to donate it to Maine Woodland Owners. Everett and his wife, Arlene, believed it was important for the organization to have some quality land in southern Maine to promote and demonstrate responsible forestry.
All but nine acres of the lot are forested – the unforested portion has been managed as grass and farm fields. The property showcases healthy white pine regeneration and abundant wildlife. Maine Woodland Owners will be applying for NRCS funding to update the property’s management plan in 2022. Regeneration and overall forest health will be assessed and timber stand improvement work, using a brush saw to cut the sprouts off the stumps to encourage pine and oak that develop from seed, will be conducted.
The property is located on River Rd./Rt. 35 between Diamond Rd and New Rd. in Hollis and extends tothe Saco River. Vistors should park on the property’s access road.
Click HERE for directions to Towle Family Forest
Read about the Towle land donation in the January 2020 edition of Maine Woodlands.
