Welcome to Beaver Brook

est. 1964

Beaver Brook Association is a mission-driven, privately held, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interrelationships in the natural world and encouraging the conservation of natural resources through education and land stewardship.

Thanks to the generous support of our community through memberships and donations, we are able to provide free public access to our grounds.

 

Announcements

  • Join us every Monday at 10:00 for FREE storytime (rain or shine)
  • Trail closures: Howe Meadow Trail and Kibby Howe Connector are closed for an active timber harvest.

This year’s Fall Festival & Art Show welcomes back all of your favorite shows, musicians, artists, activities, vendors and food. We can’t wait to celebrate the season with you at this free community event! Join the BBA team in putting on this fun community event and sign up to be a volunteer!

Visit Us!

PROGRAMS

Connecting people to nature is what we do. Environmental education programs are offered for all ages year-round!

OUR TRAILS

Come for a hike on our 35 miles of maintained trails. Be sure to view the map for trail usage information. 

MAPLE HILL GARDENS

Enjoy 13 beautiful gardens, a wisteria arbor, a demonstration compost court, and a wide variety of flowers and shrubs.

Timber Harvest & Trail Closures

Posted May 25, 2023. Every year, BBA conducts at least one timber harvest, as part of its long-term forest management plan.  The harvest is designed to enhance wildlife habitat, maintain long-term aesthetics, increase the productivity of the forest for growing timber products, and generate income for the operations of BBA’s facilities and trails.  The volume of timber harvested from BBA yearly, is less than the volume that grows on BBA each year.

This selected harvest is part of one of New Hampshire’s original tree farms and was last harvested in 1922 for American Chestnut. Logs were bucked and hauled by horses to what is known as the Huff/Proctor Mill located on West Hollis Road, adjacent to the parking area at Potanipo Trail. After years of hand thinning and management, the 1938 hurricane flattened the remaining trees. All over the Northeast, millions of board feet were salvaged and eventually used for shipping boxes during the war effort. The trees here were no different. Stumps, rocks, and debris were cleared, becoming what is known as the Howe Pasture. These management practices ensure a successful, healthy, and scenic forest.

Today, the pines are crowded and becoming oversize for the mills to saw. Harvesting the mature pines will bring the size class down and allow the smaller trees to thrive with extra growing space. The pine cones will become mature this year, being a perfect time to harvest the pine and disperse the seeds for germination. Hemlocks are being salvaged from Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Hemlock Elongate Scale. The timber being cut is a great example of what successful long-term management can do for the quality of the forest.

Closed Trails: Kibby Howe Connector and Howe Meadow Trail

VISIT US

The Beaver Brook office at Maple Hill Farm is located 1 mile off of Rt. 122 in Hollis NH. Beaver Brook trails may be accessed from several different public roads. Our trails are open to the public, 365 days a year, from dawn until dusk. When planning your hike, consult the map first.

MEMBERS

Beaver Brook relies on contributions from our visitors and the community to maintain our lands, trails and the many historic buildings used for environmental education programs.

Educational Programs

Beaver Brook provides year-round environmental education opportunities for all ages.

SUPPORT

Beaver Brook is a regional nature center where tens of thousands of people a year come to learn about and enjoy spending time in nature. The organization began in 1964 and has grown to encompass 2187 acres of conserved land with 35 miles of trails for the public to use year round.