OLT Making Improvements at Brookwood Point

COOPERSTOWN—There’s snow on the ground, but according to Otsego Land Trust officials, work is already underway to prepare the Brookwood Point Conservation Area for spring and summer use. The 22-acre property located two miles north of Cooperstown is a quiet refuge for residents and visitors, with formal gardens, walking trails, and a natural launch area for canoes and kayaks. It has been owned and managed by OLT for public use since 2011.

“The first step in preparing the gardens this year was to remove the overgrown hemlocks along the east side,” said Gregory Farmer, OLT executive director.

The hemlock hedge was designed in the early 20th century to be about five feet high, Farmer explained. Over the years, the trees had grown to 30 feet and were casting deep shade on the lawn and garden beds. The tight row of 20 hemlocks also increased the risk of infestation by the hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect that attacks and kills North American hemlocks.

“We waited to remove the hemlocks until the ground was frozen hard and the snow was not too deep,” said Justin Williams, agricultural specialist and public lands manager at OLT. “That prevents damage to the gardens from the heavy equipment.”

D. Reese Tree Service of Cherry Valley took down the trees and will return to the site to grind the stumps.

The sense of enclosure on all four sides contributes to Brookwood Point’s “secret garden” feel. A new hedgerow will be planted in the spring to replace the hemlock hedge and maintain the beauty of the formal gardens, officials said. OLT will host a volunteer garden cleanup day in May and a garden planting day in June.

Otsego Land Trust is a community-based nonprofit protecting local fields, forests, and waterways in perpetuity since 1987. To learn more about volunteer opportunities at Brookwood Point, check otsegolandtrust.org/events.