Johnson Pond Forest
Victory Rd : Kirby, VT 05851
Caledonia County, Vermont
Land Description
The forest is ideally suited to those who like to roam large landscapes where ecosystems are diverse, swimming in spring-fed ponds is possible, heads of watershed streams can be traversed, and high-elevation mountain peaks can be explored.
Property highlights include:
· Three miles of private gravel roads;
· Prime potential homesites near one of three spring-fed ponds;
· Three mountain peaks with high alpine elevations;
· Antique granite quarry with old cut blocks for landscaping.
Location
The forest is positioned in the southeast corner of the small Northeast Kingdom town of Kirby. While Kirby offers no village center, there is a strong sense of community stemming from its rich farming/forest industry heritage and diverse outdoor recreation culture.
The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is one of the more popular places to live and raise a family, due in large part to its rural nature and small communities complimented by the proximity to all necessary services in larger towns. Victory, a tiny town situated to the north, boasts one of the largest state-owned wildlife management areas in Vermont. Victory Bog and the surrounding lands create an unfragmented forest where many native wildlife species benefit from superior habitat.
Most residents commute to the nearby large towns of St. Johnsbury (home of St. Johnsbury Academy and the Fairbanks Museum), Lyndon (home to Northern Vermont University-Lyndon, formerly known as Lyndon State College), Lancaster (“Gateway to the Great North Woods”) and Littleton (population 6,000 on the Connecticut and Ammonoosuc Rivers), all within 13 to 21 miles of Kirby, for services and employment opportunities. Burke Mountain Ski Area, a four-season resort, is situated 21 miles to the northwest. Boston is about 2.5 hours to the southeast.
Access
Access to Johnson Pond Forest is dictated by the presence of Kirby Mountain and its ridgeline, which divide the property from west to east.
The acreage south of Kirby Mountain is accessed by a 50'-Wide, established legal right-of-way off Victory Road, a well-maintained town road. The right-of-way is shared with one other home just off Victory Road. The right-of-way provides access for home construction including access to utilities, as electric power is already available on the property near the pond.
The acreage north of Kirby Mountain is accessed from Kirby Mountain Road, a Class III town-maintained gravel road which leads to Victory Hill Road (1.1 miles to the east). From Kirby Mountain Road, an unimproved right-of-way meanders southward for roughly 3,200' to the northern boundary of the property.
One of the land's greatest attributes is its nearly three miles of internal gravel roads, providing access to remote locations, including a private mountain peak with outstanding long views.
Site Description
The property possesses two distinct landscapes, again related to the location of Kirby Mountain, with the southern half holding more gentle terrain, the ponds, a southern aspect and much of the private road system. This section of the land is well suited to establishing estate infrastructure. The northern half holds the higher elevation terrain and includes three peaks of the Kirby Mountain Range with elevations rising to 2,522' above sea level (Asl). This mountain ecology offers exceptional recreational opportunity, with one of the internal roads leading directly to the top of a ridge peak with a small clearing.
Two small, spring-fed ponds in the central portion of the property are well positioned to create a private family get-away. The ponds are completely surrounded by the ownership and part of the larger Johnson Pond watershed. From the top of Kirby Mountain, small streams meander down-slope, eventually draining into Johnson Pond (10 acres), the gem of the property. The shoreline of the pond is dotted with large boulders and mature softwood trees, creating a remote atmosphere, also well suited to creating the perfect site for a home or camp.
Timber
The timber resource is primarily young, a crop that naturally became established from harvests that occurred about 25-30 years ago, resulting in many densely-stocked advanced sapling to pole stands where stems are roughly 5-10” in diameter. Species in these areas are dominated by maple, birch and aspen. Forest aesthetics can be considered very good where little understory growth is encountered in the dense young stands. While young, the resource is well-positioned to develop into high-quality stands in the coming decades. More mature stands are found on the steep slopes and mountaintops. The current value of this resource lies predominantly in the aesthetic appeal it contributes to the property as a whole; however, over time, the timber will become a significant component of the property's value.
Of interest is an antique granite quarry located in the east-central section of the property. This area holds large blocks of granite that can be used during home construction and associated landscaping.
