Burnt Mountain Conservation Area
Property name: Burnt Mountain Conservation Area
Size: 160 acres, completely forested
Location: Hazen’s Notch Area of Montgomery, Vermont
This moderately steep woodland is one of the original lots dating from the founding of Montgomery. The forest is primarily a mix of common hardwood tree species including maple, birch and beech. An outcrop of the underlying bedrock appears midway on the slope which leads to an area of Montane red spruce and balsam fir forest in the southeast corner of the parcel.
The soils at the lower elevation of the parcel are somewhat rich in nutrients. Two small streams begin on the parcel and eventually flow into Flood Brook. Spring wildflowers found here include Wild Leeks, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Creeping Snowberry, Bluebead Lily, Canada Mayflower, and Red Trillium. Ferns through Summer include Maidenhair Fern, Lady Fern, Hay-scented Fern, Silvery Glade Fern, Mountain Wood Fern, Intermediate Wood Fern, Christmas Fern and New York Fern. Purple-flowered Raspberry, Hobblebush and Jewel Weed (both orange and yellow species) bloom profusely along the two wood roads/trails on the parcel.
The parcel contains mid-elevation habitat that is appealing to the following bird species: Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Solitary Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco. The small area of higher elevation forest occasionally entices a Blackpoll Warbler to visit.
White-tailed deer, Ruffed grouse, and Black bear are frequently seen. Bobcat and Snowshoe hare have also been seen from time to time.
Two trails have been conserved with this easement. A one-quarter mile portion of the Notch Trail is a remnant of a historic log-hauling road dating from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. This woods road was used to haul logs from Hazen’s Notch to a mill which once stood at the foot of the Reagan Road. The second trail is a restored woods road which leads to a footpath laid out by the owner in the 1990s so that the public could hike or snowshoe to the summit of Burnt Mountain which lies a short distance to the south of the property.
Access: Pedestrian only. Visitors may access the property by way of trails and woods roads on the adjacent High Ponds Farm, a private property which is open to the public.