Invitation to Comment on Land Use & Management Plan for Harold A King Forest

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: S. PETER KANE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, 781.596.8829

One of the objectives of the Swampscott 2013 Open Space & Recreation Plan (OS&RP), available here, is to create “maintenance programs” for each of the Town’s open space and recreational properties. A Land Use and Maintenance Plan for the Charles M. Ewing Woods, a small parcel of conservation land adjacent to the Stanley School, has already been prepared. The OS&RP Committee has now drafted a plan for the Harold A. King Forest (also known as the Oscar Short Conservation Land), 47 acres of wild and rugged forested land located in the northwest corner of Swampscott that was dedicated as public conservation land.  A copy of the draft Land Use and Maintenance Plan for Harold A. King Forest can be found here. 

This document sets forth how best to manage the property and what actions will be taken to maintain the property.  A checklist for Conservation Land Maintenance is also included.  The OS&RP Committee is interested in receiving input from you, the residents of Swampscott, and so is accepting public comment on the draft plan through April 14, 2017. There will also be an OS&RP Committee meeting on April 11, 2017 at 7:00 pm at the Town Hall if you wish to present comments in person.

Thickly wooded uplands are rare in Swampscott, and the Harold A. King Forest, which is managed by the Conservation Commission, serves as habitat for both birds and mammals.  As one of the few natural undeveloped areas in Swampscott, the management objective of the Harold A. King Forest is to maintain the property essentially in its present natural state, healthy, clean, undamaged, and as free as practicable from invasive vegetative species and to provide public access for passive outdoor recreational and educational opportunities.

The draft plan identifies immediate work that needs to be done on the property, such as replacement of badly damaged signage.  In addition, plans have been made to have a Eagle Scout re-mark the one-way loop trail through the forest, clear the trail from debris, and create an informational kiosk at the entrance to the Forest off Nichols Road.

The long-term routine maintenance consists of litter control and vegetation clearing from the trails and is proposed to be coordinated through the Conservation Commission and the OS&RP Committee with assistance from the Department of Public Works and/or volunteer individuals and groups.

To further ensure the protection and maintenance of Town conservation land such as Harold A. King Forest and Ewing Woods, the OS&RP Committee is interested in fostering the creation of a “Friends of” Swampscott conservation lands similar to the Friends of Lynn Woods and the Marblehead Conservancy. If you would be interested in participating in such an effort, please contact the Director of Community Development, Pete Kane.