BETHEL — The Dec. 4 meeting of the Bethel Select Board saw a renewal of the contract with DGD trucking, allowing for continued logging in Bingham forest.

The meeting was attended by Peter Southam, who explained and clarified the logging plans. The logging will be taking place in stand I – a softwood stand that has been logged for the past two years.

“This is the third year in the same spot,” said Southam. The plan involves finishing off work that was started on the stand in 2023. “They’re expected to finish this winter,” Southam said. This contract allows logging in the area from Dec. 4 to April 15.

The work will be with the same company – DGD trucking of Rumford. There are no expected additional costs other than what has already been agreed on by the Select Board in previous years. Edward Telling, the forester for the project, encouraged the decision. Southam explained, “Bingham forest has already met with the forester, and that was his recommendation to finish that out.”

Meryl Kelley expressed some concern with the project, asking if there was a harvest plan for the future. “There is more logging that can happen in the future, but now it’s just this,” said Southam. Kelley intends to look toward the future plans of the forest as a whole, and this topic may return in later Select Board meetings moving forwards.