For this reason, timber harvesting in areas of known Blanding’s Turtle habitat is restricted by state law to the winter months when the turtles are inactive.

The rest of the year, Blanding’s Turtles can be found in upland habitats traveling between wetlands to feed, mate, and nest. For example, the Blanding’s Turtle, a threatened species in Massachusetts, likes to spend its winters burrowed into the mud or silt at the bottom of wetlands, ponds, and vernal pools in a state of dormancy from November to March. Protecting rare wildlife is another reason timber harvesting is often carried out in winter. Frozen ground also offers access to sites with wetter soils that can’t be accessed any other time of the year without causing excessive damage to soils and vegetation. Frozen soil, particularly when covered by a layer of snow, is protected from rutting or compaction by heavy equipment. Skidders, harvesters, and logging trucks may leave ruts in soft soils, causing productive soils to erode away during storms, which both can pollute streams and rivers and slow future growth. Protecting soil structure has always been one of the primary reasons to harvest in the colder months of the year.

How will that affect New England’s forests and forest management? Read on. But climate change is already making winter harvesting a more uncertain proposition. Winter harvests also avoid disrupting rare wildlife, reduce the chance of insects or fungi spoiling cut timber, and in the past, allowed New England timber harvests to fit in with other seasonal industries such as farming. The snow cushions falling trunks-protecting the quality of the wood-and together with the rock-hard ground, provides protection against ruts and erosion caused by logging equipment. For generations, these conditions have made winter the time to harvest timber. Hard ground, blanketed by cushioning snow. Writing by NEFF Director of Forest Stewardship Chris Pryor and Chief Operating Officer Frank Lowenstein Why does New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) harvest in winter, and what does climate change mean for the future of forestry?

Winter Harvest by Norah Lofts