A 483.4-acre working forest in the west-central Adirondacks
The Rogers property is a 483.4-acre family timberland on Haskell Road in the Town of Morehouse, Hamilton County, New York, in the west-central Adirondacks. The property includes 473 acres enrolled under New York’s Forest Tax Law program, with the balance consisting of camp area, a small opening, and wetlands along Jones Brook.
Kerry and Mary Jane Rogers manage the property for long-term timber production along with compatible recreational use. The forest includes five sawtimber stands, with northern hardwood and mixed softwood-hardwood cover types including sugar maple, American beech, yellow birch, red maple, red spruce, balsam fir, Eastern hemlock, and black cherry.
- Total property acreage
- 483.4 acres
- Forest Tax Law eligible
- 473 acres
- Ineligible acreage
- 10.4 acres — camp area, a small opening, and wetlands along Jones Brook
- Location
- Haskell Road, Town of Morehouse, Hamilton County, New York
- Management direction
- Long-term timber production with compatible recreation
- Forest structure
- Five sawtimber stands
- Primary commercial species
- Soft maple, hard maple, black cherry, American beech, yellow birch, red spruce, balsam fir, Eastern hemlock, and Scots pine
- Access condition
- Remote — public roads, New York State Forest Preserve access, and private Miller Park Association roads
Remote ground, winter access, five sawtimber stands
The property is remote, requiring access from public roads across New York State Forest Preserve and private Miller Park Association roads. Timber harvesting in the area has historically been limited to winter because of access roads and terrain.
The forest is divided into five timber-management stands, ranging from mixed red spruce–yellow birch sawtimber to beech-dominated northern hardwoods.
| Stand | Acres | Forest Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81.1 | Red spruce–yellow birch | Mixed softwood-hardwood sawtimber |
| 2 | 117.0 | Sugar maple–beech–yellow birch | Northern hardwood stand with substantial beech component |
| 3 | 122.3 | Beech–sugar maple | Beech-dominated northern hardwood sawtimber |
| 4 | 118.5 | Beech–sugar maple | Beech-dominated northern hardwood sawtimber |
| 5 | 34.1 | Red spruce–yellow birch | Mixed softwood-hardwood sawtimber |
Highlighted rows — Stands 2, 3, and 4 — are the focus of the current market-readiness treatment.
Addressing a silvicultural and market-readiness bottleneck
The Rogers Adirondack Hardwood Market Readiness Project is focused on improving the condition and future operability of beech-dominated northern hardwood stands. Dense American beech understory can interfere with desirable regeneration and make later commercial forestry entries less feasible, especially where access is difficult and low-grade markets are weak.
The proposed work is intended to reduce beech interference, improve conditions for yellow birch and other desirable northern hardwood regeneration, and prepare the treated stands for future management. The project is not intended as a short-term timber harvest. Its purpose is to address a silvicultural and market-readiness bottleneck that would otherwise limit the future productivity and manageability of these stands.
Careful, field-directed work in Stands 2, 3, and 4
The treatment focus is the reduction of dense American beech understory and small interfering beech stems in selected portions of Stands 2, 3, and 4. The work is intended to be carried out under appropriate seasonal, soil, slope, and water-quality safeguards.
Treatment Objectives
Reduce beech interference
Reduce dense beech understory interference that captures growing space in the treated stands.
Support desirable regeneration
Improve future regeneration opportunities for yellow birch, sugar maple, red maple, and other desirable species.
Improve seedbed conditions
Create exposed or mixed mineral seedbed conditions where appropriate for desirable northern hardwoods.
Improve future operability
Make future low-impact commercial timber harvests more feasible on remote, seasonally limited ground.
Implementation Safeguards
Protect residual trees
Protect residual crop trees and desirable seed sources throughout the treated areas.
Protect sensitive ground
Avoid wetlands, seeps, stream buffers, steep sensitive slopes, and saturated soils.
Work to conditions
Carry out work under appropriate seasonal, soil, slope, and water-quality safeguards, directed in the field.
Treating the problem before the next commercial entry
In remote Adirondack hardwood stands, poor access and weak low-grade markets can prevent normal commercial timber stand improvement from solving understory and unacceptable-growing-stock problems. Dense beech interference can persist, capture growing space, and reduce the odds of successful desirable regeneration after future canopy release.
By treating the interference problem before the next commercial entry, the Rogers property can be better positioned for future low-impact forestry, improved regeneration, and more practical timber sale planning. The work supports long-term stewardship by improving the condition of the forest before market and access limitations become even greater obstacles.
A working family forest, managed for the long run
The Rogers property is managed as a working family forest. Enrollment under New York’s Forest Tax Law program reflects a sustained commitment to long-term timber production, and the property continues to support compatible recreational use alongside its forestry objectives.
Haskell Road, Town of Morehouse
The property lies in Hamilton County, New York, in the west-central Adirondacks. Access is remote, involving public roads, New York State Forest Preserve access, and private Miller Park Association roads.
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