The Pine Barrens – A Unique NH Landscape

When you think of New Hampshire landscapes, most people think of the rugged mountains of the Presidential Range, the rocky shoreline of the Seacoast, or the peaceful beauty of Lake Winnipesaukee.  When thinking of New Hampshire, though, it is important not to forget the unique landscape of the Pine Barrens.

Stretching through over 2,200 acres in Madison, Tamworth, Ossipee and Freedom, the Ossipee Pine Barrens are a unique ecosystem, the last of its kind in New Hampshire. There used to be a large tract near Concord, but that area has shrunk to a mere 450 acres.  Thankfully, these areas are now carefully protected by The Nature Conservancy.

What are the Pine Barrens, anyway?

The Pine Barrens were originally formed by melting glaciers pouring down water filled with sandy soils into a huge valley. When the water drained away, the sandy soil remained. It is interesting to think that parts of Ossipee, Tamworth, Madison and Freedom used to be one big lake!

Pine Barrens are made up of mostly Pitch Pine, Scrub Oak, and wild blueberries.  It is a unique appearance, with the pine stretching tall and narrow, the scrub oak growing only five or six feet tall, and the haze of blueberries at ground level.

In Colonial days, these areas were deemed `barren` by the settlers as the sandy, acidic soil is not ideal for crops.  The pitch pine was used, however, as pitch and caulking for British ships and boiled down into turpentine for medicinal purposes.  The white birch found in surrounding areas was used for British shipbuilding (think of the names of local ski mountain`King Pine` and local school `Kingswood`), and Route 16 was the `mast road.`  Unlike most old New England roads, Route 16 was built as straight as possible, and did not go through the center of any towns until it reached Portsmouth. This was to make the difficult task of transporting the long trees a bit easier.

Why are the Pine Barrens so important?

» The Pine Barrens are a filter for the Ossipee Aquifer that lies beneath them. The Ossipee Aquifer is the larget stratified drift aquifer in New Hampshire, and supplies a constant supply of drinking water to nearly everyone in the area.  The natural filter is a huge concern, as the Aquifer is replenished by surface water.  Local wells only need to drill down through about 30 feet of sand to reach the water.  Anything that is on the surface, any pesticide sprayed on a lawn, any soap from a car being washed, is going to filter down to the water supply very quickly.

» The Pine Barrens are home to 17 rare moths and butterflies, and countless other songbirds and animals.  The Karner Blue Butterfly, the official butterfly of the State of New Hampshire, is an endangered species. It thrives in the Pine Barrens, though, and just recently there were hundreds released into the Barrens in Concord.

How do we protect the Pine Barrens?

Believe it or not, the way to preserve the Pine Barrens is by burning them! Over the years there had been fires every 25- 50 years, until the areas around them became populated and fires were put out soon after they started. Because the soil is so dry and sandy, decomposition of leaves and twigs takes longer than in your average forest setting.  This causes this matter to build up, which is prime food for fire.

Pitch Pine has thick, fire resistant bark, and it`s cones will open and drop seeds when exposed to fire.   Scrub oak has roots that go very deep, making it easy to regrow after a fire.   The low growing blueberries come back stronger after fire, as well.   The Nature Conservancy did a controlled burn of the Pine Barrens in 2007 to get rid of the buildup of matter on the forest floor and to keep out invading species.  They are currently working on a fire buffer along Route 41 in Madison.

There are wonderful trails off of Route 41 and from Camp Calumet that lead you through the heart of the Pine Barrens, and it is absolutely worth a trip, especially in late summer when the blueberries are out! Take a stroll and enjoy the unique landscape, listen for a whip-poor-whil, and keep an eye out for the Karner Blue Butterfly!

Thanks to The Nature Conservancy and New Hampshire Public Radio for the great history of the Pine Barrens!

Fishing Season Has Begun! 2009 Winni Derby

For 28 years, fisher-men, fisher-women and fisher-kids have been hitting the big lake for the annual Winni Derby!  This years Derby runs May 15 – May 17, and they are expecting over 3,000 entrants!

With over $60,000 in prizes to be handed out, you better enter if you feel lucky! Not only are rods and reels and fish finders up for grabs here, but three fishing boats are going to the biggest salmon, the biggest trout, and the biggest junior salmon (only those under 16 need apply here).

You can register at WinniDerby.com, or check out there site for lots of places to do so around the big lake.  Daily awards are handed out at 8:00 PM on Friday and Saturday, and the biggies at 2:30 on Sunday.

If you are going to fish, don`t forget the rules:

Only fish caught in Lake Winnipesaukee count.
You can not enter a frozen fish.
You can not alter your fish (what?!).
You can only win one boat.

The complete set of rules can be found on WinniDerby.com.  If you are fishing, good luck!

April 2009 – The New Hampshire Real Estate Market

The Northern New England Real Estate Network has put out their April statistics! That means it is time for the monthly review of the New Hampshire Real Estate Market.

Especially in today`s real estate climate, knowing what the market is doing is imperative to making smart decisions when it comes to buying or selling your New Hampshire property.  Looking for a particular statistic you do not see here? Contact us and we will do our best to research it for you!

Quick Stats (Carroll County):

As usual these days, there are plenty of listings to go around. However, while the number of active listings is up about 15%, there are almost double the amount of pending or contingent listings than last month (98 vs. 50), and closings were up 28%.  Looks like a spring rush to me!

Average Days on Market:

Looking at the Average Days on Market is a quick way of determining how ‘soft’ the market is. Days on Market records how many days properties were actively on the market before they were sold. Generally speaking, the higher the DOM, the more likely it is a buyer’s market.
Do keep in mind that this number can be skewed in a number of ways. If a seller decides to take his property off the market for the winter, or decides to switch REALTORs, the DOM for that property will return to zero. It is common for properties that do not have accurate asking prices to come on and off the market numerous times.   If yo have any questions about the accuracy of a property’s DOM, be sure to ask your REALTOR to research.

You can see that April’s DOM dropped quite a bit and is significantly lower than last year. At 154 days it is still longer than we like to see, but it is an improvement over last year’s 201! I would like to think that this is because some sellers putting their property on the market in the past few months have been realistic with their pricing.  If it is priced right, it will sell!

Average Sales Price:

As you can see, the Average Sales Price has been lower than last year’s for the past few months.  Do keep in mind, though, that this not necessarily mean that the same house is going for less this year than it did last year.  It could also point to the fact that more less expensive homes are selling, and fewer more expensive homes are selling.

Absorption Rate:

In my mind, the Absorption Rate is the king of all real estate statistics. Simply put, if you have 50 homes on the market and 10 buyers per month, you have five months worth of inventory. From a seller’s point of view, the less inventory you have, the better!

A five month inventory would be nice… but not reality these days. The absorbtion rate has been steadily increasing since the start of the year.  Grafton and Coos counties have the highest rates, with 33.2 and 32 months of inventory, repsectively.  Hillsborough has the lowest rate as usual with 18.9 months.

Overall, there has not been significant change – for the worse or for the better – over the past few months.  It is still a great time to buy, but also a great time to sell as long as you price correctly!

Fantastic Conway NH Foreclosure!

Adorable home in fantastic neighborhood!

 MLS #: 2776027
Price: $169,900 (incredible price!)
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2
Total Size: 1,853 sq. feet
Lot Size: 1.15 acre 

 

An adorable house in move-in condition with so much charm, set in the desireable Davis Hill Road neighborhood of Conway. Just minutes from town and from schools, this home offers 3 bedrooms and two full bathrooms. The kitchen has lots of cabinet space, and all appliances are included.

Proudly Brokered and Advertised By:

A New Hampshire Mother`s Day (with no buffet!)

Don`t get me wrong – I love a good breakfast buffet, I really do. 

Stepping up to the end of that banquet table full of sausages, eggs, french toast, fresh fruit, and then sitting down with a plate full of goodness and a sparkling Mimosa is always welcome! However, here in New Hampshire there are some options to make this Mother`s Day extra memorable.
Lets Play Ball!
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are teaming up with the New Hampshire Breast Cancer Coalition for the ballgame on May 10th. Not only does Mom get in free thanks to Catholic Medical Center, but she gets to run the bases afterwards! Boy, will the kiddos be jealous!!  The first 1,000 Moms in even get a fantastic pink bag!
Check out the Fisher Cat homepage for more information and tickets!

A Night of Music
The Seacoast Repertory Theatre  in Portsmouth, NH will be putting on `Voices for Breast Cancer,` a night of music benefiting BreastCancerStories.org on Sunday, May 10.  A barbershop quartet will be performing, as well as fiddler Joyce Anderson and folk musicians Susie Burke and David Surette. The night is topped off with appetizers and a silent auction. 
Contact the Seacoast Repertory Theatre for more infomation.

Moms are Always on the Run!
For those who are so inclined…Momsontherun.org organizes an annual Mother`s Day 5K run/walk.  The run takes place at Dover High School on Sunday morning and proceeds go to l0cal charities.  What a great day to spend the day!

Choo Choo for Mom!
You guessed it, Moms ride the Conway Scenic Railroad for free! If you have never experienced his North Conway classic, you do not know what you are missing! Breathtaking scenery seen from classic train cars, it is fun for the whole family! And while up in North Conway, Mom can do a little shopping at Zeb`s Country Store or the outlets at Settlers Green!

Who doesnt love Ice Cream?
And…the best for last. Cold Stone Creamery is giving away free `Like It` size ice creams with one mix-in to Moms!  What Mom does not love… and deserve…ice cream?  This is happening at limited stores, though, so be sure to call ahead!

So take Mom out for that brunch if you must, but also treat her to something uniquely New Hampshire for Mothers Day!