Mahoosucs Unit

Grafton Twp, Riley Twp

Vital Statistics

Size: 9,993 acres
Regulated: 733 acres
Non-Regulated: 9,241 acres
Upland: 9,980 acres
Forested Wetland (NWI): 0 acres
Non-Forested Wetland: 2 acres
Open Water: 11 acres
Roads: trails-20 miles
Biophysical Mahoosucs/Rangeley Lakes
BPL Region: West

Map showing location of Mahoosucs Ecoreserve

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Exemplary Natural Communities

Scientific Name	Common Name	State Rank	Global Rank
Beech - Birch - Maple Forest	Northern Hardwoods Forest	S4	G3G5
Labrador Tea Talus Dwarf - Shrubland	Cold Air Talus Slope	S2	G3G5
Spruce - Northern Hardwoods Forest	Spruce - Northern Hardwoods Forest	S4	GNR
Red Spruce - Mixed Conifer Woodland	Spruce - Pine Woodland	S4	G3G5
Fir - Heart-leaved Birch Subalpine Forest	Subalpine Fir Forest	S3	GNR

Rare Plants

Scientific Name	Common Name	State Rank	Global Rank	State Status
Vaccinium boreale	Alpine Blueberry	S2	G4	SC
Anthoxanthum monticola	Alpine Sweet Grass	S1	G5	T
Minuartia groenlandica	Mountain Sandwort	S3	G5	SC

Rare Animals

There are no documented occurrences of rare animals within this Ecoreserve. For more information on rare animals in Maine, visit the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Description

Extending from 1120 feet to 3980 feet in elevation, the Mahoosuc ecological reserve is second to only Bigelow in elevational gradient, and it is one of the three largest state reserves. Most of the reserve (8,458 acres) has been classified as sub-alpine forest, and 259 acres have been classified as alpine ridge -- the most alpine habitat of any of the thirteen ecological reserves. This alpine ridge, traversed by the Appalachian Trail, supports numerous populations of rare plants. Mahoosuc Notch, a notoriously difficult section of the Appalachian Trail, passes through a jumble of boulders known as a rare Cold Air Talus Slope community, where cold air drainage results in ice chunks remaining through the summer months.

Less than 10% of the reserve was classified as regulated timberland, primarily the hardwood and mixed wood stands on the lower slopes. Most of these stands have been selectively harvested in the past, but some areas, including a beech-birch-maple forest in Mahoosuc Notch, show no evidence of cutting. At intermediate elevations, some transitional conifer-dominated stands also show no signs of past harvesting, with trees over 245 years old.