7.8 CULTURAL RESOURCES

BACKGROUND

Cultural resources include the many forms of evidence left by people who once inhabited the land. They can be damaged inadvertently during logging operations.

Knowing about cultural resources can provide important links to the past. They might have religious significance, provide information to archeologists, be of interest to the local historical society, or provide an attraction for visitors.

Cultural resources include stone walls, cellar holes, sugar shacks, logging camps, old dam sites, cemeteries, Native American ceremonial grounds, or the trash dumps of old farmhouses. Landscapes—combinations of structures and sites that convey a sense of a time or lifestyle—can also be considered as cultural resources. Old farmsteads with overgrown fields, apple orchards, lilac bushes, and buildings or cellar holes are a good example.

The key to protecting cultural resources is to identify clues on the ground and plan management activities accordingly.

OBJECTIVE

Protect cultural resources during harvesting operations.

CONSIDERATIONS

• In some cases it may be impossible not to damage a cultural resource.
• Native American sites and cemeteries have certain legal protections (RSA 227-C).
• Stone walls along scenic roads may have legal protection, depending on whether the town has designated the road as scenic under RSA 231:157-158. Stone walls serving as boundaries are protected under RSA 472:6.

RECOMMENDED PRACTICES

• When evaluating a property for timber, include cultural-resource locations and issues.
• Management strategies around the cultural feature may include:
• No disturbance.
• Minimal disturbance (e.g., felling but no equipment).
• Low-level disturbance using light equipment or operating on frozen ground.
• Flag the area and show the logger the areas to protect.
• Fell trees away from cellar holes, quarry sites, or other depressions with historic significance, and don't pile slash or garbage in them.
• Avoid skidding over stone bridges or culverts. Use a deck to cover old culverts, if existing roads and bridges are used.
• Use existing stone-wall openings (barways) when possible. Limit the number of new openings and cut only the minimum width necessary. Leave openings for future use or restore the wall when work is completed.
• Protect wells by installing concrete well covers whenever possible.
• When a cultural resource can't be protected from damage, photograph the site and mark its location on a map for future historians.
• Contact the N.H. Division of Historical Resources for additional advice about documenting cultural resources.

CROSS REFERENCES

3.1 Timber Harvesting Systems; 6.5 Permanent Openings.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

RSA 227-C. Historic Preservation. http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xix/227-c/227-c-mrg.htm Accessed May 27, 2010.

RSA 231:157-158. Scenic Roads. http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/NHTOC/NHTOC-XX-231.htm Accessed May 27, 2010.

RSA 472. Boundary Lines. http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XLVII/472/472-mrg.htm Accessed May 27, 2010.

Sanford, R., D. Huffer, and N. Huffer. 1994. Stonewalls and Cellarholes: A Guide for Landowners on Historic Features and Landscapes in Vermont's Forests. Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. http://www.historicvermont.org/programs/stonewall%20and%20cellarhouse_pub_screen.pdf Accessed March 13, 2010.