Forest Society Pursues Conservation of Balsams Landscape

The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests came to agreement with the Tillotson Corporation to conserve much of the land surrounding the historic BALSAMS Hotel in Dixville Notch, NH. A purchase and sale agreement was signed that will enable the Forest Society to hold conservation restrictions that will forever protect the working forest, scenic views, and 30 miles of recreational trails that the public and BALSAMS guests have enjoyed for decades. The land will be owned in fee by the new owners of the BALSAMS Hotel.

“We have long sought to protect this special place in New Hampshire,” said Jane Difley, president/forester of the Forest Society. “We are grateful to the board of the Tillotson Corporation to be given the opportunity to do just that.”

The purchase and sale agreement gives the Forest Society a window of opportunity to raise the $850,000 necessary to close the transaction. The conservation restrictions will prohibit further subdivision and commercial development while allowing sustainable forestry and recreational access.

The land that will be protected surrounds the site of the hotel. The site of the hotel, the golf course and the ski area will not be part of the conserved area. The conserved land will include the popular outlook known as Table Rock that offers a spectacular vista across Coos County to Maine, Vermont and Canada. The 30 miles of recreational trails include hiking and snowmobiling trails as well as a section of the Cohos Trail that runs from Crawford Notch in the White Mountains to the Canadian border in Pittsburg. Other conservation values include wildlife habitat, extensive water resources such as Mud Pond, healthy stands of sugar maple and areas of likely old growth forest.

“Given the extraordinary conservation values on the property, including the extensive scenic views of the land and from the land, we’re confident that donors will step forward to help us achieve this conservation outcome,” Difley said.

For updates, visit http://savethebalsamslandscape.blogspot.com/. To donate, visit forestsociety.org/balsams.

The Forest Society is a private, non-profit land trust and forestry organization established in 1901. It currently holds more than 750 conservation easements statewide permanently protecting more than 100,000 acres of New Hampshire’s landscapes. The Forest Society also owns 171 forest reservations constituting more than 50,000 acres in 95 New Hampshire communities.