Cold Hollow Road, Bakersfield, VT 05441 - Franklin County

Bakersfield Forest is a conserved sugar maple and yellow birch forest offering an exceptional timber and/or sugarbush opportunity with over 60,000 potential taps with desirable downhill sap-flow. As a pure timber investment, the asking price is 96% of the $2,086,000 capital timber value. The property is set in the Cold Hollow Mountains in the towns of Bakersfield and Belvidere at the northern end of the Green Mountain Range in northwestern Vermont. Nearby state highways provide solid transportation to larger corridors and regional markets. Access to and within the property is well-established.

A northern aspect predominates on the property where terrain varies from steeply sloping within the southern half to more moderate and gentle slopes to the north. Forest management operability is quite good on the commercially operable terrain deemed and soil quality there is above average. The land includes the headwaters of Cold Hollow Brook, a scenic clear mountain stream which includes various cascades and a notable slab run where water flows along smooth bedrock for a considerable distance. The high elevation and wilderness setting of the propertys southern end provide scenic vistas and are a well-known area for producing large deer and bear.

The species composition is dominated by hardwoods, led by sugar maple (46%), followed by yellow birch (21%). The sawlog volume breakdown consists largely of species with historically strong demand, dominated by sugar maple and yellow birch. Forest stocking ranges from adequate in areas recently thinned to overstocked where thinning is scheduled. The property offers an outstanding potential sugarbush opportunity, given the high level of maple stocking, slope factor, access, and proximity to electric power. A recent analysis indicates a total maple potential tap count of 66,745 taps with roughly 93% of the taps from sugar maple with the balance from red maple. Electric power is roughly 1,100 from the propertys northwestern boundary along the town road, a point where nearly all of the sap will flow naturally downhill. The conservation easement permits forestry and sugarbush operations and associated infrastructure as well as an 800 sq ft camp.