Bartlett Brook Town Forest

Bartlett Brook Town Forest

Bartlett Brook Forest is a contiguous tract on 138.7 acres (113.5 forested) and is managed by the Weare Conservation Commission as a working Town Forest. The property is located in the west central region of Weare, with frontage along the south side of Route 149, the Deering/Weare town line, and Sawyer Road. The terrain is variable, ranging from inoperable cliff, steep rocky hillsides, to moderate slopes, flats, and wetland areas (both open water and forested). The open water wetland system is found in the southeast corner of the Forest. This open water wetland has some forested wetlands and wet meadow areas contiguous with it. There are some smaller forested wetlands elsewhere in the Forest, another open wet meadow, and vernal pools. Inoperable cliff (l) and talus/boulders (r).

The land has a long history of agricultural and timberland use; the abundance of stone walls throughout the property, the numerous skid trails and narrow access roads suggest a fairly intense use. Weare itself had a prosperous agricultural history, which peaked in the mid to late 1800s. This agricultural use of the land came to a halt early last century when many farmers in New England abandoned their agrarian lifestyles and once open-land has since become reforested. The Bartlett Brook Forest was at one time called the Schwaumburg Parcel Town Forest. The majority of the tract acreage was once open agricultural land, a mix of pasture, hayfields, and croplands. The present forest is a mix of species, with the dominant trees approximately 90-130 years old. Immediately following farm abandonment, the open agricultural land tended to favor the establishment and growth of white pine.

A stone cellar hole, and other stone framework associated with a farm can be found adjacent to Sawyer Road, south of the intersection with Toby Hill Road. It once supported a large house, and is still in decent condition. Large trees are now growing within its perimeter, providing some information on how long ago the house disappeared.