Fryeburg Town Forest

Conservation Easement

Public Access
Trails
Trailhead

November 20, 2024

There’s something deeply calming about a walk in the woods—the way the air cools, the light filters through the trees, and the noise of the world seems to fade.

Fryeburg Town Forest, with its gentle one-mile loop trail, offers just that kind of escape. It’s a peaceful place to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with the natural world.

As you wander the trail, you’ll pass old stone walls—reminders of the time when this land was cleared and farmed by hand, generation after generation. You’ll also find a welcoming open-air pavilion, built for outdoor learning and community connection. Keep going, and you’ll reach the banks of the Saco River, where a rare Silver Maple Floodplain Forest quietly thrives.

What we may forget is that this forest is also quietly, behind the scenes, doing some heavy lifting for the health of our land, water, and climate.

These woods are more than beautiful—they’re protective. During heavy rains or snowmelt, they absorb and slow water, helping prevent damaging floods. They shelter wildlife, clean our air, and offer cool refuge on hot summer days.

And equally important, they’re helping to slow down climate change, right where we live. An acre of New England forest stores around 160 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That means Fryeburg Town Forest is quietly holding back nearly 10,000 metric tons of excess CO₂—a powerful natural solution in the face of a global challenge.

By conserving this land, Fryeburg has done something powerful and forward-thinking: protected a living system that gives back every day. It’s a gift to the community now—and to future generations.

Over the next twenty-five years we look forward to working with other towns. Imagine if every town had a forest like this. Imagine what we could accomplish, together.

State(s): NH
Town(s): fryeburg
Acres: 63
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