Bangor infrastructure committee approves 10-year Essex Woods management plan and selects local contractor for city forests

The Bangor infrastructure committee on June 15 moved to accept a 10-year Forest Management Plan for Essex Woods and heard staff describe management priorities for city forest properties.

Pedro Narvaez, City of Bangor public works manager, said the city reviewed three commercial timber-harvesting firms and "have chosen based on our discussions and written estimates for services for these two properties to go with Prentiss and Carlisle." Narvaez said the city will work within existing resources — an annual forestry line of about $57,000 with a proposed cap on forestry expenses of no more than $25,000 — and that expected harvests are unlikely to fully fund management costs.

Sophia Camera, forestry technician, outlined recommendations in the Essex Woods plan, which covers the 113-acre parcel in the city and would guide management from June 15, 2026, to June 15, 2036. Camera said the plan calls for parcel boundary surveys (the property is made up of nine parcels), a 3–5-year pruning and maintenance cycle for trails and vehicle access, invasive-plant control (noting a "massive Japanese knotweed problem"), and improved signage and education for recreators. "There will be no commercial timber harvesting recommended over the next 10 years except to be used as a tool to promote forest health or improve public safety," Camera said.

Staff and presenters flagged a capped landfill on Essex Woods that was closed in the 1960s and not brought to current standards. Camera said the city has consulted Matt Young of the Department of Environmental Protection on remediation approaches and that some trail work has disturbed the old cap, creating safety and erosion issues.

A committee member asked whether berms had ever been placed on the landfill. Camera replied she found a 1971 letter requesting fill and that the site was treated differently historically; she said the city is working directly with DEP on next steps. After questions, a council member moved and another seconded a motion to accept the Essex Woods Forest Management Plan as the governing document for June 15, 2026–June 15, 2036; the transcript records the motion and second but does not include an itemized roll-call or vote tally. The motion was brought to a voice vote in committee.

The plan also recommends protecting wetlands and bird habitat, monitoring for pests such as red pine scale and emerald ash borer, controlling erosion (including improving culvert sizing) and exploring reuse or repair of an on-site building for city or nonprofit use. Staff said community education and partnerships with agencies including Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Maine Audubon are part of the implementation strategy.

The committee concluded the item and the meeting adjourned at about 6:49 p.m.