We can be grateful that one of Lake Auburn’s greatest assets is the forest that surrounds it. The majesty of the forest goes far beyond its aesthetic quality because it protects, enhances, and restores water resources. And that directly affects the quality of the water in our lake.

Historically, the Auburn Water District and the Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission (LAWPC) have demonstrated farsighted stewardship of the forests they own. In the 1930s the Auburn Water District began forest management with the goal of foresting open lands.

Since the 1960s they’ve been professionally managed by licensed foresters intent on water quality enhancement, promotion of healthy ecosystems, wildlife protection, and cultivation of healthy, marketable trees. What’s more, the LAWPC allows passive recreation such as walking and fishing on most of the lands.

Forests are more complicated than they appear, benefiting so many creatures, great and small, in so many ways. They provide clean air, shade, and soil stabilization, and they slow down the precipitation falling from the sky.

They also help remove polluting nutrients, retard water flow over land, take water up from the soil, provide shelter and homes for all forms of life, and keep streams and rivers healthy and cool.

According to the American Forest Foundation, “Two-thirds of the drinking water in the United States is filtered through America’s forests. Forests also help prevent soil erosion and mitigate flooding. Streamside plantings, increasing protection zones and other management activities help improve fish habitat, safeguard our water supply, and protect our communities.”

Our forest management is aimed primarily at providing the highest water quality possible. High-quality water is usually cool and high in dissolved oxygen, which is crucial for the survival of nearly all plants and animals and is essential to a healthy lake. Decomposition of organic materials can reduce or eliminate the supply of dissolved oxygen. So that’s why we focus on growing good quality softwoods such as eastern white pine, red pine, and spruce, and reducing the broadleaf (hardwood) trees because the latter have more organic materials that cut into the dissolved oxygen supply.

We cycle our harvest operations eight to 12 years apart and remove lower quality, diseased or damaged trees. (We leave some dead trees since 90 percent of woodland mammals and birds need dead trees to live, nest, and hide from predators).

That way we regenerate new trees and promote better growth on the higher quality trees. It’s a conservative philosophy with an intensive approach. We also practice whole tree chipping, in which smaller diameter stems are weeded and thinned, then cut, chipped, and sold as biomass.

Timber harvests are scheduled six months to a year in advance so that the heavy equipment goes in when the ground is frozen or dry. Our licensed professional forester prepares a lot by marking the skid trails and trees to be cut, then orienting the trails for efficiency and the lowest environmental impact. Temporary bridges are set up over brook crossings.

Skid trails are prepared to allow the ground to freeze solid. Today’s logging equipment is large and heavy, and most of the work is done with hydraulic equipment. Modern skidders remove several trees or bunches at one time, and move on routes that minimize soil and residual stand damage.

Successful results require a thorough understanding of forestry, soils, wildlife habitat, local and state codes, and a working knowledge of civil and mechanical engineering. We’re proud of our well-established tradition of good forest management and will continue to protect the water supply by promoting healthy forests in the Lake Auburn watershed.