Tug Hill North Unit
The Tug Hill North Unit Management Area is comprised of 8 state forests and one wildlife management area. The unit is a patchwork of state owned parcels located west of Lowville, South of Copenhagen and east of Adams and located in the Lewis County towns of Harrisburg, Martinsburg, Montague and Pinckney and the Jefferson County towns of Lorraine, Rodman, Rutland and Worth.
The following list of state lands are all included in this UMP:
- Sears Pond State Forest - 5,708 acres
- Grant Powell Memorial State Forest - 8,137 acres
- Cobb Creek State Forest - 2,203 acres
- Lookout State Forest - 3,996 acres
- Granger State Forest - 737 acres
- Pinckney State Forest - 2,166 acres
- Tug Hill State Forest - 12,306
- Gould's Corners State Forest - 2,043 acres
- Tug Hill Wildlife Management Area - 5,112 acres
These state forests are by law dedicated to watershed protection, the production of forest products and offer many recreational opportunities, including; hiking, skiing, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, trapping, horseback riding and bird watching. The unit contains 3.6 miles of foot-only hiking trails, 22.2 miles of cross-country ski/hiking trails and 4.9 miles of snowmobile trails, all providing opportunity of the outdoor enthusiast.
The Tug Hill North Unit checkerboards the northern ring of the Tug Hill Plateau. This area can provide a wilderness experience while also being very accessible. It contains approximately 9,470 acres of classified wetlands, 22% of the area. The wetland complexes, beaver ponds and meadows create rich wildlife habitat while protecting New York State's waters. Six steep river ravine gulfs support unique plant and animal communities. These State lands also contain 141 miles of classified streams which are buffered by lush, filtering forest cover and fishing opportunity.
How to provide input into the plan:
The first phase in of UMP preparation is completed and a draft is available for public review. The draft plan is linked below and also available on CD or for review in our Watertown or Lowville offices. Any individual or organization interested in providing comments on the draft management plan can contact Andrea Mercurio at NYSDEC 7327 State Hwy 812, Lowville, New York 13367 or e-mail r6.ump@dec.ny.gov. Written comments will be accepted until December 20, 2013.
A public meeting will be held on December 4, 2013 in the Copenhagen Central School cafeteria, 3020 Mechanic Street, Copenhagen, NY 13626 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The first half hour will be an open house format to allow people to informally discuss the draft plan with DEC staff. At 7 p.m., there will be a brief presentation of the draft plan highlights. Following the presentation, the public will have an opportunity to comment on the plan.
Downloadable Documents
Draft Tug Hill North Unit Management Plan (PDF) (1.82 MB)
Figure 2 - Soils Maps (PDF) (3.62 MB)
Figure 3 - Water Resources Maps (PDF) (1.34 MB)
Figure 5 - Facilities and Recreation Maps (PDF) (3.75 MB)
Figure 6 - Forest Stand Maps (PDF) (3.83 MB)
