Town of Jackson, NH - Natural Resources

Jackson’s natural environment provides clean air and water and a beautiful landscape of mountains and streams. Environmental characteristics have always had a strong influence on the development in the town. For example, dense forests provided abundant resources for sawmills, mountains and snowy winters provided slopes and trails for a ski industry, and scenic beauty provided for tourism opportunities in all seasons.

Winter temperatures (in degrees Fahrenheit) average 19.3, based on December through February readings. The number of days with temperatures 0 or lower has varied from 18 to 45 in a winter. Days with temperatures below -10 have varied from 4 to 20. Days with temperatures below -20 vary from 0 to 8. Days with temperatures below -30 occur only about one winter in five. The average winter’s lowest temperature mark is -26.

The growing season, or period free of any 32 or lower temperature, averages 108 days. The last spring freeze has occurred as early as April 10 and as late as May 30. The first hard freeze has occurred anywhere from Aug. 31 to Oct. 5, and usually occurs in the base of the valleys. (An interesting historical note: The early farms in the area were on the hillsides, perhaps due to the longer growing season mid-way up the slopes.)

Summer temperatures are generally quite comfortable, with afternoon maximums frequently in the upper 70s or low 80s. Days with readings of 90s or higher have varied from 3 to 18 in a summer. Days with 95 have varied from 0 to 7. The June through August average temperature is 65.4 degrees.

The Town of Jackson consists mainly of four mountain ridges separated by three river valleys running in a north-south direction. These rivers are the Wildcat, Ellis and East Branch of the Saco Rivers. In addition, there is one section of the Rocky Branch entirely within the National Forest that cuts across the southwestern corner of the township. Adjacent to the valleys, the elevation rises rapidly to four mountain ridges. East to west, these ridges are: [1] the western slope of Sable Mountain and Chandler Mountain (3329’) separated by the East Branch of the Saco from [2] Black Mountain (3303’) ridge south to the Knoll (2000’), Doublehead Mountain (3056’) and Tin, Middle, and Thorn (2287’) Mountains. The Wildcat River separates these mountains from [3] the southwestern slopes of Wildcat Mountain (3850’ highest point within the Town), Hall’s Ledge (2600’), Spruce Mountain (2272’), and Eagle Mountain (1615’). The Ellis River flows between this ridge and [4] Rocky Branch Ridge (3400’), Maple Mountain (2626’), and parts of Iron Mountain (2120’ within the Town). In the southwestern corner of Jackson, west of the Rocky Branch River, the eastern slope of Mt. Resolution rises to about 3000’.

The slope of a parcel of land can be a major factor affecting its potential use. The steeper the slope, the more likely the soil is to erode when the land is disturbed or the vegetation is removed. Hillside development, without adequate measures to prevent harm, can also result in additional public expenditure either for repairs or for protective measures to prevent further damage. A slope of twenty-five percent is generally accepted as the appropriate upper limit for residential development and other construction activities.

Slopes in Jackson range from level to extremely steep rocky cliffs. A majority of the town has moderate to steep slopes, with 68% of the non-USFS land (mapped in the Carroll County Soil Survey) having a slope 25% or greater, and only 10% of the non-USFS land with a gradient less than 8%.

The United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service conducted and published the “Soil Survey of Carroll County” (on file at the Town Office) in the 1970s to learn what kinds of soil are in Carroll County and to provide information for farm and forest management and town-wide land-use planning. The soil types found were classified and named according to a nationwide, uniform system of soil series. The soil types occurring in Carroll County are described in the text of the “Soil Survey”.

In the “Soil Survey” the soils on the USFS and other undeveloped lands were mapped at Order 3 (or low intensity) in which the smallest soil delineation is 25 to 100 acres in size. The more developed portions of the town were mapped at Order 2 (medium intensity) with the smallest soil delineation at 3 to 5 acres.

To obtain soils information detailed enough to make site-specific decisions on individual subdivisions, an Order 1 map or high intensity soil map is required. This would be done on a survey map with a scale of at least 1 inch to 100 feet, and contours of 2 feet or less, which allows a mapping unit of less than a quarter acre. The state of New Hampshire has adopted the Site-Specific Soil Mapping Standards, which are a combination of the criteria from both the Order 1 Mapping Standards and the High Intensity Soil Mapping Standards.

The “Soi1 Survey” maps show about sixty different types of mapping units within the town of Jackson of which close to half are soil associations. The major types of soil found in Jackson are Marlow, Lyman, Berkshire, Peru, and Becket soils. For all of these, surface stones are common. Marrow, Peru and Becket soils have a firm pan layer beginning at 12 to 36 inches below the surface. The pan layer causes a “perched water table” and restricts the downward movement of water through the soil, which causes problems for the performance of sub-surface septic disposal systems. Lyman soils are very shallow to bedrock, which makes them ill suited for land uses such as agriculture or residential development.

The soil types identified and described in the “Soil Survey of Carroll County” are ranked as to their limitations for various land uses. Almost all the soil types found in Jackson were listed as having moderate to severe limitations for activities associated with residential development such as construction of roads, parking lots, lawns and dwellings with basements and septic tank effluent disposal. The most common limitations listed were steep slopes, stoniness, and the presence of a pan layer. Certain soils have particular limitations such as excessive permeability in sandy deposits along streams, flooding on flood plain soils, and poor drainage in wetland soils. None of the soils in Jackson were listed as being well suited for agricultural use.

Because of the variety of limitations to development presented by the soils of Jackson, prudent planning dictates the need to consider the capabilities of the soils on land for which a development is proposed. Recognizing this need, Jackson in 1987, amended the zoning ordinance so that minimum lot sizes for new subdivisions would be based on soil types.

Two watercourses converge in the village, the Ellis and Wildcat Rivers. The Wildcat flows south from its source in Carter Notch through an intervale to form a natural cataract, Jackson Falls, below the Valley Cross Road and converges with the Ellis just north of the Jackson covered bridge. Additional watercourses include a small length of the Rocky Branch River, west of Maple Mountain, and Great Brook, from its origins one in East Pasture and one on Doublehead Mtn., to its junction with the Wildcat below Eagle Mountain House. The East Branch of the Saco flows through Jackson east of the Doublehead area.

Most of the bodies of water within Jackson were originally man-made by the damming of streams and/or excavation. They include Mirror Lake and the following ponds: Whitney, Elkins, Thorn Hill Lodge, Burgess, Memorial Park, Foster’s Globe, three ponds on the Rockwell property on Tin Mine Road and the pond at Hemlock Hill Acres. There are man-made fire ponds on the Valley Cross Road, Carter Notch Road, Cameron Drive, as well as man-made ponds on Dundee Road and the Five Mile Circuit Road.

Floods are normal occurrences in nature. During regular stream flow, water runs in the channel, but when run-off is high, water level increases and rises over the stream’s banks. This water will flow onto the floodplain. Floodwaters frequently damage buildings that are located on floodplains. Flood damage can be prevented by keeping flood-damageable property away from flood hazard areas.

The Federal Insurance Administration in its “Flood Insurance Study for the Town of Jackson, NH” with the associated Flood Insurance Rate Map, 4330014 00258 and Sheets 1 through 4 of Flood Boundary and Floodway Map of the Town of Jackson, NH, dated July 2, 1979 designated lands as flood hazard areas (the Study and maps are on file at the Town Office). Jackson participates in the National Flood Insurance Program that requires towns to regulate construction in these areas of flood hazard. With these regulations in place, property owners in Jackson are eligible to purchase flood insurance.

In October 1988 the Wildcat River was designated as a federal Wild and Scenic River. As part of the eligibility study, a River Conservation Plan for the Wildcat River was created. Because of the need for specific protections for the floodplains and other riparian lands in the town, Jackson adopted the River Conservation District amendment to the zoning ordinance in 1987.

A ground water aquifer is a geologic formation that transmits water and contains sufficient amounts to be extracted by wells. An aquifer recharge area is an area on the surface of the land through which rainfall and runoff infiltrate to replenish an aquifer. A recharge area does not necessarily lie directly above the aquifer it supplies; it may be close by or at a distance. Geology, slope, soil, vegetation and land use affect the ability of surface areas to recharge aquifers.

According to the USGS publication “Availability of Ground Water in the Saco River Basin, East-central New Hampshire” by John E. Cotton (on file in the Jackson Town Office) there are no aquifer areas of high potential yield located in Jackson. Four aquifers of medium potential yield (which may provide sufficient amounts of water for small districts) exist in Jackson. These aquifers are located in the East Pasture, Wildcat River Valley north of Jackson Falls, the village area and Ellis River valley from the Dana Place to the village. In addition to producing a source of water for private and community use, aquifers also aid in maintaining water levels. They absorb water during periods of high flow and release it gradually during dry times.

Aquifers, as valuable water supplies, do face potential problems. Septic system failure can result in untreated effluent being carried via ground water into nearby aquifers, thus polluting them. High bacterial counts in water from deep wells may indicate this problem. Contamination can also occur from road salting, improper solid waste disposal, leaking underground fuel storage tanks, agricultural practices, improper storage of chemicals, and pesticide use.

A wetland is an area characterized by little or no slope, poor drainage and standing water at least part of the year, with water tolerant vegetation and characteristic wetland soils present. General functions performed by wetlands include ground water recharge; provision of food, shelter, breeding and nesting sites for wildlife, including unique wetland species; settling area for sediments; biological and chemical filtering; floodwater storage and peak flow reduction; and as a recreational and educational resource.

Jackson’s early land development was guided by agriculture and road construction. By the mid 1800s, the scenic attractions of the area became more widely known and thus the number of transient visitors increased. Developments occurred to accommodate these visitors, creating new types of land use. Today, the recreation and tourism industry is the major factor controlling land use in Jackson.

During the 1800s, Jackson had many active farms within its boundaries. Due to changes in economic conditions, farming as a means of support has decreased in the town until at present there is little land devoted to active farming. Present agricultural activities include the small-scale raising of cows, horses, sheep and chickens, maintenance of hay fields and pasturelands, and individual gardens. Those lands cleared in the past, which have not been kept open for agriculture, residential or recreational use, have returned to their natural forested state.

The predominant vegetation in Jackson is mixed hardwood conifer forest. Seventy-two percent of the town is within the White Mountain National Forest. Under the National Forest multiple use policies, limited logging operations are permitted, and are designed to have as little impact as possible on the recreational opportunities within the Forest. Logging also occurs on some privately owned land in Jackson but is restricted in scale by the rugged terrain.

Residential development, including both primary and vacation homes, constitutes the major land use in the private land in Jackson and will most likely continue as such into the future. Because of provisions introduced to the zoning ordinance in the 1980s, the minimum lot size for residential and commercial development is based on the soils present on the parcel. This represents an effort to link the intensity of development with the land’s ability to accommodate development. The cluster development ordinance allows dwellings in a larger development to be clustered together in one or more areas on a large parcel of land, leaving the rest of the parcel as designated open space. This permits areas of natural beauty or sensitive habitat to be preserved, and makes the provision of services to the dwellings more efficient.

The majority of Jackson’s commercial activity is located in the village center. The commercial establishments are mainly oriented toward tourism and include inns, restaurants, hotels, an automotive service center and retail stores selling food, clothing and works of art. Recreational facilities include golf courses, a tennis club, a downhill ski area and a ski touring center.

Industry has never played a major role in Jackson and this is not expected to change in the near future. The town’s rugged topography coupled with its lack of industry-oriented amenities keep Jackson from being a desirable location for industrial development. However, small-scale specialty industries or computer-based companies that process information rather than materials might be attracted to Jackson.

Approximately 6434 acres of land in Jackson is in the New Hampshire Current Use Program, which allows towns to reduce real estate tax assessments on qualifying properties that are maintained in a relatively undeveloped state (such as forest or fields) or are used for recreational purposes. Unlike land placed under conservation easement, land in the Current Use program is not permanently protected from development. However, if land is removed from the Current Use program and developed, there is a financial burden for doing so. Property owners who remove their land from the program are subject to a penalty based on the reduced tax rate and the full development potential of the property.