By NANCY WEST, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Aurora Sustainable Lands signed an agreement Friday on the management of the 146,000-acre Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Working Forest in the North Country after the state rejected the company’s required 10-year stewardship plan almost two years ago.
The new Aurora stewardship agreement is for five years instead of 10, and was not immediately available through the governor’s office or the Attorney General’s Office after Ayotte announced the plan in a news release Friday.
Aurora’s stewardship raised hackles in the North Country three years ago over its carbon capture practice that pays landowners to let trees stand, instead of cutting, which would pay a timber tax to local towns for every tree that is cut. Carbon capture intends to reduce climate change with major corporations buying credits looking to reduce their carbon footprint by letting trees grow.
The forest spans the North Country towns of Pittsburg, Clarksville, and Stewartstown and since 2003 has been governed by a conservation easement between the land’s owner and the state. The easement, purchased by the state in 2003 for $30 million in state and federal funds, allows for conservation, timber production, and public recreation.
Ayotte said the agreement increases sustainable timber harvesting levels, raising the average annual harvest to 30,000 cords per year, strengthening support for the North Country logging and forest products industry while maintaining forest health and sustainability. It also expands and improves maintenance and management of forest roads that support logging, recreation, tourism, and public access across the forest, she said.
“This deal is a big win for our North Country. We’re preserving the productive use of the Working Forest, improving investments for roads and access, and protecting our timber industry and the revenue it provides for communities in the area,” Ayotte said.
Although there have been complaints in the past of lax enforcement of the easement, Ayotte said that won’t happen with this deal.
“We will make sure Aurora lives up to terms of this deal, there will be quarterly public reporting made by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the state is prepared to take action, if necessary, to ensure compliance with this agreement,” Ayotte said.
Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, R-Wakefield, said elected officials and residents in Coos County have for years been deeply concerned about the future of the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters tract and forest management impacting the timber industry.
Ayotte’s agreement ensures a path forward that keeps the Working Forest open for timber harvesting, continues the protection of a vital economic resource, and preserves recreation and tourism access to a unique part of his district, Kenney said.
“However, I am still troubled by Aurora’s 2022 purchase of 146,000 acres and commitment to honor the 2013 enrollment of the Connecticut Lakes in a 100-year carbon sequestration program without sharing this knowledge to the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Citizens Committee. I can only hope that Aurora will ditch its future involvement in the carbon sequestration program, commit to regular harvesting, and support our local youth conservation programs,” Kenney said.
State Rep. Arnie Davis, R-Milan, also approved of the agreement, according to Ayotte’s release: “With this agreement, we’re ensuring current and future generations can enjoy the forest for recreation and tourism and protecting our timber industry, which is vital to the North Country’s economy.”
Coos County Administrator Mark Brady said Friday, “We’re grateful the governor focused her efforts as she said. We would have preferred 35,000 cords a year but we can accept 30,000 cords with strong enforcement and verification and Aurora being the proper steward Senators (Judd) Gregg and (Jeanne) Shaheen had foreseen when they took $30 million of state and federal money to secure the easement.
“An agreement is only as good as the intentions of the parties. It is also paramount the state and Department of Natural and Cultural Resources perform their fiduciary function and enforce the terms of this agreement. We will hold their feet to the fire,” Brady said.
Brady said he has not seen the agreement. “And reserve further comments based on specifics and whether there there are back door ways to get out of it.”
It certainly wasn’t good faith, Brady said, when Aurora recently allowed only 11,000 cords to be cut one year.
Blake Stansell, President and Chief Operating Officer of Aurora Sustainable Lands, said via email: “This agreement helps align our shared priorities for the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters conservation easement and reaffirms the importance of supporting a productive working forest that serves timber, recreation, and local access. We remain committed to the collaborative work ahead, including transparent reporting and ongoing engagement with state and community partners, to ensure the forest continues to benefit North Country communities, industries, and visitors for years to come.”
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