Skip to main content

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests

Get our e-news! Sign up

small nav

  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Staff
    • Board of Trustees
    • Our History
    • Employment
    • Conservation Center
    • FAQs
    • Partners
    • Business Members
    • Annual Reports
    • Bylaws
    • Policies
  • log in
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Main menu

  • What we do
    • Land Conservation
    • Education & Events
    • Advocacy
    • Forestry & Recreation
    • News & Features
    • Forest Notes & More Publications
  • Current Projects
    • Mahoosuc Highlands, Shelburne
    • Forest Society North at The Rocks Campaign
    • Build Creek Farm Restrooms, Portsmouth
    • Mount Major Stewardship Fund
    • Recent Accomplishments
  • Visit & Explore
    • The Rocks
    • Conservation Center
    • Mount Major
    • Creek Farm
    • Forest Reservation Guide
    • Visitor Use Guidelines
  • Get Involved
    • Upcoming Events
    • Membership/Renewal
    • Support Our Work
    • Volunteer
    • Subscribe to E-news
    • Annual Meeting 2023
  • Search

Search form

Donate
Menu

News

  • Forestry Friday: The Rare Milkweed Garden at the Gardner Forest

    Sophie Oehler
    September 15, 2023

    In this Forestry Friday, the forestry team takes a trip to the Gardener Forest in Hollis to check in on a population of a rare species of milkweed. (Photo: Sophie Oehler)

  • Partners Launch Women’s Forest Planning Program

    Anna Berry
    September 12, 2023

    Are you a woman interested in developing a management plan for your forestland in New Hampshire?

  • "Good Forestry in the Granite State" is Being Revised — Take the Survey

    Wendy Weisiger
    August 29, 2023

    A steering committee representing landowners, conservation organizations, state agencies and the forest industry is guiding the process.

Woods Without Gile owners named NH Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year

Anna Berry
April 8, 2022
Forestry
Working Forests
Ann and March Davis pose in front of their Tree Farm with their dog.
Ann and Marc Davis at the Woods Without Gile tree farm. (Photo courtesy of NH Tree Farm/NH Department of Natural & Cultural Resources)

PRESS RELEASE: The N.H. Tree Farm Program has announced that Ann and Marc Davis have been named New Hampshire’s 2022 Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year.

Straddling Springfield and Wilmot, the Davises’ 500-acre tree farm, Woods Without Gile, is a working forest that implements the four pillars of the Tree Farm program: wood, water, wildlife and recreation.

“When we purchased the property in 2002, the forest was dense and had been severely damaged by the 1998 ice storm,” said Ann Davis. “Working with Tim Wallace, a licensed New Hampshire forester, we’ve had four timber harvests that have focused on extricating some of the damaged hardwood, which has allowed existing conifers to regenerate and flourish.”

“One objective we’ve had is to expand habitat diversity for wildlife, including deer, moose and birds,” said Marc Davis. “To accomplish this, we’ve planted trees and fruity shrubs, inventoried snags and downed woody materials that provide food and shelter for a variety of animals and birds, and both implemented and stumped patch cuts that have created a meadow as well as foraging sites for beaver.”

Woods Without Gile’s wetlands include a more than five-acre beaver pond and associated wetlands, two streams with several beaver dams, a sphagnum moss bog, vernal pools, an upland red maple swamp, and both intermittent and year-round streams.

The Davises keep Woods Without Gile open to the public for cross-country skiing, fishing, hiking, hunting, horseback riding, snow shoeing and other non-motorized and non-wheeled recreation. To help facilitate these activities while keeping the forest healthy, the Davises established eight miles of trails and installed permanent bridges over stream crossings.

Proceeds from timber harvests on the property have helped establish the trails, pay property taxes, purchase skidder bridges, install gates and make other improvements.

As is required for all certified tree farms, a written forest management plan for Woods Without Gile is in place and is updated regularly. 

With a long-range goal of ensuring that their Tree Farm remains a working forest in perpetuity, the Davises have established a conservation easement for it that is held by Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust. They purchased their property in part because it abuts another protected parcel, the 6,725-acre John F. Gile Memorial State Forest, which is owned and managed by the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands.

The Davises learned about managing their woodlot by attending multiple educational workshops, many of which were organized by UNH Cooperative Extension. They are also long-time members of the N.H. Timberland Owners Association; Ann Davis served on the board from 2005 to 2013 and was board president from 2010 to 2012.

“The dedication Ann and Marc have shown in making sure Woods Without Gile is a model Tree Farm is inspiring,” said Greg Jordan, chairman of N.H. Tree Farm. “Their thoughtfulness over two decades as they worked to achieve their goals exemplifies the Tree Farm program spirit.”

N.H. Tree Farm reports that there are 1,450 certified tree farms, totaling 500,000 acres, involved in the program statewide. 

The New Hampshire Tree Farm Program is co-sponsored by the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands, the Granite State Division of the Society of American Foresters, the Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests, the N.H. Timberland Owners Association and UNH Cooperative Extension. It is based on the American Tree Farm System and is operated by volunteers through the New Hampshire Tree Farm Executive Committee.

For more details about the New Hampshire Tree Farm Program, visit nhtreefarm.org. 

Part of the N.H. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the Division of Forests and Lands protects and promotes the value provided by trees, forests and natural communities. For more information, visit nh.gov/nhdfl or call 603-271-2214.

# # #

Contact: Shelly Angers, NH Department of Natural & Cultural Resources
(603) 271-3136 | shelly.angers@dncr.nh.gov

Download the Forest Society Mobile App, powered by OuterSpatial

Available on the App Store
Get it on Google Play

Footer menu

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests54 Portsmouth St.Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603.224.9945Fax: 603.228.0423info@forestsociety.org
Land Trust Alliance accreditation logo