Timber revenue may replace rec vehicle
CARIBOU, Maine — City Council members recently approved a timber harvesting agreement that would allow roughly 70 percent of the trees in North Caribou Park to be cut.
Parks and Recreation Superintendent Gary Marquis informed council that this could bring in about $10,000, which could be used to replace the department’s 1985 pickup, which is on its last legs. Additionally, some wood could be kept for use on ATV/Snowmobile trail bridge decking, and would last about a decade, which would result in an approximate $6,500 savings.
Marquis added that, since many of the trees in the park are past their maturity, the logging would be a smart move when looking to the future.
“The company that would be doing this is the Hughes Brothers out of Mapleton or Castle Hill,” Marquis said. “According to the forester, these are the best guys to do a low-impact cut. They don’t go in and just blast the ground. They really do a good job, and if this gets approved, I will be going out to monitor their work.”
The older trees, according to the rec superintendent, usually cause issues during storms in which branches fall on the tennis court or outhouse.
Before unanimously approving the agreement, council made an amendment to state that harvesting revenue would be placed in the Parks and Recreation Reserve account and not specifically allocated replace a vehicle or other equipment.
