Kimball Family Forest

Property Access

The property is open to the public for low-impact, non-commercial, outdoor educational or recreational activities such as hiking, wildlife observation, cross-country skiing, hunting, and fishing. Trails and Accessibility There are no designated trails on the property.

The property is at the intersection of Freeman Hall Road and Priest Road in Nottingham, NH. From Route 4, go south 1.0 mile on Freeman Hall Road to the intersection with Priest Road. Freeman Hall Road is 3.0 miles east of the intersection of Routes 4, 43, and 202 in Northwood and 5.2 miles west of the intersection of Routes 4 and 125 at the Lee traffic circle. There is no parking area but the shoulder at the intersection of Freeman Hall Road and Priest Road is wide.  

Property Information

The property was purchased by Roland and Charlotte Kimball in 1975. During his life, Roland and his family enjoyed many happy hours on this woodlot and the Kimball family donated a conservation easement on this property in 2008 so that it would be permanently protected. When walking the land it is difficult to envision that all of this property was in agricultural use about a century ago and the succeeding woodland was extensively harvested by a previous owner. Roland Kimball and his sons spent a lot of time improving the young forest by cutting out undesirable hardwood trees for fuelwood, always carefully leaving behind the best trees.

The Kimball Family Forest is an interesting mix of forested uplands running along the edge of a stream corridor and interconnected wetlands though the center of the parcel combined with outstanding North River frontage – all on just 22 acres! The family’s hard work shows in this vibrant forest which is dominated by white pine with a mixture of red and white oak, red maple, and other hardwood species. The wetlands are quite evident along the northern sections of the Freeman Hall Road frontage where one can see through the red maple swamp to a fairly open sedge dominated wetland and an open water area that was an active beaver flowage and small great blue heronry not long ago.

Just south of this is an overgrown path that leads into a small man-made pond that has been in place for long enough that it looks quite natural. This is a great place to look for tracks and to peer out into the wetland edge beyond. On the other side of the property, the North River frontage is a challenge to walk but well worth the effort. At this point in the watershed, the river is a good sized brook with bordering wetlands and many twists and turns. This is ideal habit for wood turtle, otter, and other wildlife that rely on wetlands and water as well as veery, winter wrens, and maybe an occasional Louisiana waterthrush. If you see anything interesting, please let us know!

The property includes:

• Wildlife habitat for species of concern and identified as a conservation priority in the New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan
• 1,300 feet of undeveloped frontage along the North River that serves as a “buffer” to the river – providing riparian habitat as well as protecting the river’s water quality
• Over seven acres of wetlands and open water
• Productive forestland
• 1,400 feet of undeveloped frontage on Freeman Hall Road
• Educational and recreational use of the general public