The City of Leominster is in the process of awarding logging contracts to harvest wood on the city’s watershed land. This practice benefits the city with revenue and provides a healthier forest environment. However, commercial logging frequently has a negative impact on recreational trails. Repairing and maintaining these valuable recreational assets is currently done by volunteers of the Leominster Trail Stewards and the Wachusett Chapter of NEMBA. Hundreds of hours have been put in to develop and maintain this trail network. The standard DCR watershed practice is to establish a 50’ buffer zone on either side of the trail and to carefully consider any trees to be removed within this buffer to ensure that the trail corridor and the character of the trail remain intact. This can best be done through a joint site walk with representatives of the trail community and the consultant forester.

We, the undersigned, are concerned residents and trail users who urge our leaders to act now to create a 50 foot buffer zone (on either side) during logging activities on Leominster’s recreational trails and to work with members of the Leominster Trail Stewards prior to marking areas for logging where trails exist.