MECHANIC FALLS — A forestry consultant is recommending that 69 acres of town land off Lane Road have boundaries marked, unauthorized trails shut down, a plan to limit and possibly eradicate invasive plants and regular monitoring done of the parcel.

The town got the land in 2017 through automatic foreclosure and recently spent $800 on a forestry and harvest study by Greg Seamans of New England Forestry Consultants of Oxford. The Bog Hooters snowmobile/ATV club has a trail through part of the land.

Based on the study, Seamans recommended:

• The boundaries be updated, clearly marked and made obvious. “Well maintained boundaries are crucial” in defining ownership and limiting trespass and timber trespass from neighboring properties,” the report said.

• The snowmobile and ATV club be contacted regarding erosion issues.

• The club and the Maine Warden Service be contacted regarding unauthorized trails, prohibiting them.

• A control plan be implemented for limiting and possibly eradicating invasive plant species.

• The property be monitored and corrected to note any “negative changes in forest health, damage to the trails, establishment of new invasive species or unwanted access or dumping.”

Seamans added in a follow-up report that “boundary work is the most prudent.  The entire 1.4 miles of boundary need attention. Approximately 0.8 miles can be updated without the need of a survey.”

He estimated the cost to blaze and mark that section at $1,000, and said a licensed surveyor is necessary to establish the remaining 0.6 miles.

The land contains a mix of white pine, red maple, hemlock, yellow birch and beech.

Seamans said the property is understocked due to poor forest management by the previous owner. The last timberland harvest occurred in 2014.

He said no commercial operations are needed for the next 10 years.

At Monday night’s Town Council meeting, councilors discussed contacting the Bog Hooters.

In other business, the council selected Certified Custom Carpentry of Auburn to replace four windows in the Police Department section of the municipal building. The work includes replacing insulation and drywall, extending the tiled drop ceiling, sheathing the exterior wall above the windows and replacing vinyl siding.

Town Manager Vic Hodgkins advised more work may be required to the building once parts of the interior and exterior are removed.

Certified Custom Carpentry bid $15,000 for the job. Other bids were from Negley Construction & Home Improvement for $16,000 to $17,000, and Elite Built for $20,000.

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