Donas J. & Margaret Reney Memorial Forest

Hiking through the Donas J. and Margaret Reney Memorial Forest, you’ll have opportunity to enjoy nature and also to gain some insights into the life cycles of trees. Mature trees of pine, oak, ironwood, birch, maple, and moretower over much of the trail. Yet past the snowmobile path and stonewall, you’ll find yourself wading through pines that are just knee-high; this area was logged in 2005, and these tiny trees are the resulting new growth.

Keep an eye to the ground in the most recently cleared section of the forest, and you’ll notice considerable patches of dull, flattened grass that are, presumably, the favored sleeping places of moose or deer. The trail is speckled, from start to finish, with deer and moose tracks (or, more conspicuously, their droppings), and if you tread lightly, eyes and ears sharpened, you may just spot one.

Small granite boulders covered in vibrant green lichen and moss are scattered throughout the trail, and a variety of mushrooms and colorful fungi can be found underfoot. If it’s a damp day, be aware of where you step – the trail is home to tiny, inexplicably cute red efts. If a scenic view interests you, the beautiful landscape of Grantham Mountain can be observed from the steep part of the trail just past the clearing.

Please see our Visitor Use Guidelines page for a complete list of rules and regulations for Forest Society reservations. 

Like much of the region, the slopes of Barton Hill were cleared for farm pastures and timber by the mid 1800s. The abandonment of hill farms allowed this land to gradually revert to a forest of poplar, white birch, and pine. During the 1900s, selective cutting of pine and mixed hardwoods yielded a northern hardwood forest of beech, yellow birch, sugar maple, and hemlock. Donas J. Reney founded a family lumber business in 1901, and for more than 80 years, this property has provided pine and hemlock for the family’s timber business.

Everett “Mike” Reney and his sister, Lena Cote turned down a developer’s lucrative offer in favor of permanently protecting the land they had owned and cared for for more than a generation. Instead, they sold their scenic family property to the Forest Society for a fraction of its appraised value. Led by former Trustee Merle Schotanus, the Forest Society and a team of dedicated volunteers raised the funds to purchase the land in less than six months. Because of the generosity of the Reney family and others, the property will be maintained in perpetuity as conservation land managed for multiple uses, including timber management, hiking, hunting, and snowmobiling. The Forest Society is grateful for the generous support of the Grantham Conservation Commission, Lake Sunapee Bank, and Merle and Helen Schotanus, as well as contributions from more than 500 additional friends.