WILTON – Work will begin on the removal of red pine trees from the area around the New Reservoir, now called the Sand Hill Road Reservoir, within the next two weeks. The trees are threatened by red pine scale which would quickly kill them if infected. The disease has been identified in Peterborough and suspected in Mason.

On Saturday, Dec. 18, the Conservation Commission held a “walk and talk” session at the reservoir. In spite of snow which grew increasingly heavy, about a dozen people gathered at the proposed parking area of Isaac Frye Highway. The session was led by Commission Members Patrick Kenney, a licensed forester, and Jennifer Beck. Other members present were Bart Hunter and Alan Preston.

The forestry plan was approved by the Board of Selectmen in November after a presentation by Kenney.

Kenney said the disease has not been found in Wilton, and might never arrive, but if it does the trees will quickly die and present a hazard by falling and blocking trails and clogging the brook. If removed now, the town will be saved the cost of a clean-up later and realize “a few thousand dollars” from the sale of the timber. Once the trees have died, they have no market value.

Only those trees that are easy to reach will be cut, Kenney said, and excludes those along the steep bank of the brook.

The area has been proposed for community use several times since it stopped providing the town’s water in the 1960s. Several years ago, a committee composed mostly of neighbors presented a detailed development plan to town meeting, but it was not adopted. The most recent study committee, appointed by the Select Board, presented a similar plan which is being followed.

That plan includes the development of a parking lot on Isaac Frye Highway, where the walk and talk began. It will be used as a staging area for the logging operation and then about half of the cleared space developed for parking 20 cars. The remainder will either be re-planted or allowed to fill in naturally.

Kenny said the land around the reservoir has been selectively logged twice in the past and is overgrown by invasive species including bittersweet. “There isn’t much you can do about that,” he said. “But we won’t make it any worse.”

Paths lead from the parking area to the existing beach on Sand Hill Road and the “peninsula area,” a small section of higher ground which juts into the pond. That will not be logged because of fragile soil. A plank bridge is proposed to cross a wet area.

Several of those present stated concerns about developing the area, citing recent problems at near-by Garwin Falls. During the pandemic when most public areas were closed, there were many parking and littering problems. They said the same thing could happen here because of postings on social media.

Beck said Garwin Falls is on private property and there was nothing the town could do. The reservoir is owned by the town and rules can be enforced and closed if necessary. She said she did not see it becoming a major attraction because it has no particular features such as the falls. It is just a pond. To help control traffic and parking, Sand Hill Road was made one-way last year, with no entry from Isaac Frye Highway.

Several neighbors said people are looking for a place to swim and will come if they hear about it. They suggested limiting use to residents or charging entry fees. Beck said that could present liability problems and would require a monitor on site.

She said the reservoir dam, which was constructed in 1931, has been found “deficient” by the state’s Dam Bureau. Correcting that is under study by the Board of Selectmen and repairs will be expensive. “We have a couple of years to do it,” she said. “The water level may be lowered by a foot or so, which would make a larger beach, but the dam will stay.”

She also noted that the pond, which is over ten acres, is regulated by the state as “public water” and the town has little say about its use.

Beck said the current plan is in three phases: to remove the threatened trees; create the parking lot and install signage; and clean up existing trails and build the bridge.

Most of those present walked to the pond from the parking area for a closer look at the proposed work.