Birch Ridge Forest

Land Description

Birch Ridge Forest represents a well-stocked, quality oak and maple woodlot with a strong recreational component just outside the village of Brandon in Rutland County.

Birch Ridge Forest is located at the southern end of the Champlain Valley in west-central Vermont. A wide, fertile valley between the Green Mountain Range to the east and sprawling Lake Champlain to the west, the Champlain Valley is a rolling landscape of fertile farms, small towns and working forests.

The property sits in the town of Brandon, a reviving town with several restaurants, an historic hotel and a vibrant arts community. The town lies equidistant between Middlebury and Rutland. Middlebury is an academic town, home to Middlebury College, and is about 25 miles to the north.

The property has been historically accessed off Van Cortland Road (Class Iii), which is a gravel town highway lying 0.4 miles to the north. From there, an established and designated legal trail leads toward the property's northeastern boundary, coming to within 25 feet at places, but not appearing to touch the property boundary. Historically, forestry operations here have utilized a short skid trail spur across a neighboring parcel to connect with the legal trail access and eventually Van Cortland Road.

Perched along the northern slopes of its namesake, Birch Ridge, this property offers an exceptional red oak and maple timber resource with a compelling recreational and conservation component. It has all of the attributes of a classic Vermont woodlot - well drained terrain, gently rolling north and east-facing slopes, a professionally managed forest and productive Taconic soil types.

A species composition dominated by hardwoods (86% of total volume) prevails, with softwoods comprising 14%. Species composition for all products combined offers a favorable mix and is led by red maple at 28% of total volume, followed by red oak at 19%, the birches at 13% and sugar maple at 6%. Miscellaneous species make up the balance. The timber data reveal a total sawlog volume of 365 MBF International ¼” scale (3.5 Mbf/Acre) with 1,579 pulpwood cords (15.1 cords/acre). Stumpage values were assigned to the volumes by the property manager, establishing an estimate of Capital Timber Value (Ctv) of $96,200 ($918/Acre).

The seller is retaining an option over the next 10 years to acquire from the new owner a conservation easement covering the property. This option will allow the seller to purchase a conservation easement based on the fair market value of an easement sale at the time the option is initiated. This option offers the new owner an active partner who will work to secure the necessary funding to purchase the easement, providing an alternative revenue source during their ownership tenure. A copy of the option agreement is available upon request.