What is going on at Lake Siog?

The few residents that have a reason to drive along Pond Bridge Road noticed big piles of logs and heavy machinery along the road. The logs are all cut on Federal Land along the Quinebaug River north of Lake Siog.
The word, “logging” stirs up a variety of images and emotions. Some people think of it as simply harvesting a renewable resource. Other people may think of careless logging methods that have left forests damaged, clear-cut and eroded. But well planned logging is a necessary part of healthy forest management.

The Army Corps of Engineer decided a while ago to do “selected logging” on all the Federal Land in Holland and Brimfield to keep the forest healthy. The work not only pays for itself, the government is getting paid for the removal of unwanted old trees and trees of poor quality. The highest bid to do the work was entered by Leclerc & Son Logging, located at 91 Rockrimmon Street in Belchertown, MA 01007.
The land to undergo needed forest management is located inside the triangle Brimfield Road, East Brimfield Road, and US Route 20. The land was bought by the Government after the devastating flood that occurred back in August of 1955.
The flood left 91 persons dead, more than 1,100 families homeless, and 86,000 unemployed. Click here to see photographs of Southbridge taken during the flood.

Leclerc & Son has currently four people involved in the logging operation.
“We like to do it in the winter,” said Jan Szwed who works for the Thames River Basin Office of the Army Corps of Engineers. The harvesting is taking place during the winter months in order to protect some rare species of amphibians that live near the stands. They are hibernating at this time and won’t bedisturbed. Jan Szwed is a natural resource specialist and walks the land marking every tree he deems to be of inferior quality or in need to be cut during the logging operation for any another reason.
“We are trying to finish the job on all the Federal land along the Quinebaug River in the next two years.” Jan Szwed said. He will reach retirement in two years.

February 2, 2010, Peter Frei