East Middlebury Forest
The forest is ideally suited to the development of a large, year-round homestead property with features that include:
- Views of the Green Mountains to the east and the Lake Champlain Valley to the west;
- Managed timber resource with excellent recreational amenities;
- Privacy yet minutes from Middlebury villages;
- Easy access to Route 7, a major north-south corridor.
The property is located at the edge of Middlebury Village where the vast forestlands of the Green Mountain National Forest meet the agriculturally rich lands of the Lake Champlain Valley to the west.
Middlebury is one of Vermonts most rounded towns, with a robust economy created from a diversity of private, public and non-profit institutions. Most notable is Middlebury College, whose main campus is 4.5 miles to the north in downtown Middlebury. The college's Breadloaf School of English is situated 8 miles to the east, ...
Middlebury is one of Vermonts most rounded towns, with a robust economy created from a diversity of private, public and non-profit institutions. Most notable is Middlebury College, whose main campus is 4.5 miles to the north in downtown Middlebury. The college's Breadloaf School of English is situated 8 miles to the east, surrounded by the Green Mountain National Forest. This campus is also host to Rikert Nordic Ski Center. A mile further east is the colleges Snow Bowl Ski Area.
Middlebury has a vibrant downtown which includes nearby Porter Medical Center. The Middlebury State Airport is 3 miles to the northeast. Burlington, Vermonts largest city is a 55-minute drive to the north along Route 7. Boston is about a 3.25-hour drive to the southeast.
The propertys terrain is mostly gently sloped, creating western and northern exposure, with soils that are predominately well-drained and productive. The property occupies the northern end of a forested hill situated between Route 7 and Lower Plains Road to the west and lands of the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) to the east. From the clearing at the end of the access road, the land rises to the east toward the center of the forest. This is the height of land whose elevation is 740 Above Sea Level (ASL).
While there are many suitable spots to develop a home site on the property, this location offers nice views of the GMNF lands to the east and the Champlain Valley to the west (with tree clearing). Beyond this height of land, going east, the land slopes down and to the north, approaching the nearby Middlebury River where the low point elevation is 460. A small stream runs through the northeastern end of the property.
The timber resource can be considered well above average, having been professionally managed by the current ownership since 2000. During this tenure, the silvicultural objective has been to promote the development of high-quality sawlogs, an accomplished goal based on the standing timber which is now part of the property offered for sale.
The species are composed primarily of hardwood, with softwood limited to hemlock and white pine. The main hardwood species are red and sugar maple, red oak and yellow and black birch.
The forest was thinned in early 2018 using a combination of individual tree selection and small group cuts. The results are impressive, with nearly all residual stems of high quality with adequate growing conditions, ensuring robust future growth. Forest aesthetics are also park like, given much of the suppressed understory stems having been removed, making walking from trail to trail quite easy. No recent timber inventory data are available.
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