This story was originally produced by the Concord Monitor. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.

In 2002, Ann Davis bought 380 acres between Wilmot and Springfield, a woodlot where, four years earlier, an ice storm had passed through and mangled many of the beech trees, red maples, birch and other hardwoods.

Davis enlisted the expertise of local foresters, whose management methods were born out of the White Mountains-based Bartlett Experimental Forest. They collected the damaged wood in four timber harvests that encouraged the growth of new trees.

“The spruce and the pine that were left after that, they they were maybe 10 or 15 feet tall, and now 20 years later, they are 40 feet tall,” she said. “[They’re] really starting to have timber value, but they’re also just beautiful to look at.”

When the U.S. Forest Service announced last month that it planned to close Bartlett as part of an agency restructuring, a decision it has now committed to reexamining, Davis was devastated.

Over the last twenty years, she and her husband have expanded their farm, Woods Without Gile, to 530 acres. They were named New Hampshire’s Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year in 2022 and Northeast Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year in 2024.

She said that, throughout the state, many farms like theirs rely on foresters and researchers associated with Bartlett to provide real solutions.

“Just about everybody in the state of New Hampshire, I would suggest, enjoys either the beauty or being in a forest at some time during the year, and for some people, it’s almost every day,” Davis said. “The research that they do about forest management and forest health and all the rest of those things may not be an immediate impact, but over time, the loss of that resource and that loss of that knowledge, you just never get it back.”

The U.S. Forest Service announced last month that it would be moving its headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah, consolidating its regional offices and closing over 50 of its 77 research facilities, including Bartlett.

On Monday, Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which encompasses the Forest Service, would reevaluate the plan to close Bartlett. The Department also confirmed that there were no proposals threatening New Hampshire’s other experimental forest, Hubbard Brook.

In conversations with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Ayotte and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, requested staffing support for the forests and discussed further investments into Bartlett’s facilities, including improvements to its bunkhouse.

Research at Bartlett

In its first 50 years of existence, research at Bartlett Experimental Forest focused primarily on managing hardwood for timber using already-established techniques. Questions around tree quality development and thinning practices prompted Bartlett to push research forward.

In the last two decades, researchers have investigated the dynamic between vegetation management and the needs of amphibians, small mammals and birds throughout their life cycle, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Hardwood management, regeneration methods and habitat management across the country have been influenced by research conducted at Bartlett.

Mariko Yamasaki, a wildlife biologist, worked in the U.S. Forest Service since 1984, covering research and administration at Bartlett and the Massabesic Experimental Forest. She said private landowners, state agencies and commercial foresters manage their land in different ways, but research can help guide management and create common ground between stakeholders.

“If we as researchers can share the key pieces of how you can manipulate habitat and provide for the full range of terrestrial vertebrates that use forests in New England, hey, that’s pretty good,” she said.

Yamasaki said research into creating diverse, resilient forests is a hallmark of good forest management. Planting a mix of different tree and plant species on top of implementing effective cutting methods not only produces stronger and high-quality timber but also cultivates more suitable habitats for a wide range of species, she said.

At Woods Without Gile, shelterwood harvesting and patch cuts helped Davis manage her land with a focus on enhancing wildlife habitat and protecting water sources.

“Those are all practices that have been proven to work well in northeast over years after years and years of research at the Bartlett Forest,” Davis said.

Fears surrounded potential closure

Jasen Stock looked at a test plot that experimented with high grading — “cut the best and left the rest,” as he put it — and remembered a tour he took at Bartlett’s facility a few years ago. Stock, executive director of New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, had an “a-ha moment” when he saw how unhealthy and poorly managed the left-behind trees looked.

“When we take a group out there and we say, ‘Why do you hire a forester? Why do you hire a land manager that understands forest management?’ You can take them out to that stand and say, ‘This is why,’” he said, “because the decisions you make today are going to affect the long-term growth and productivity of this property 10, 20, 30, 40 years from now.”

Bartlett hosts many tours, workshops training sessions and discussions for landowners, foresters, teachers and students. The tours are meant to serve as two-way conversations that help researchers see what’s missing from their work or what can be improved upon, Yamasaki said.

Losing Bartlett could have meant losing those pivotal conversations.

“No one agency is going to be able to do things all by themselves. It’s a collaborative, cooperative operation,” Yamasaki said. “It’s an ongoing [conversation] because stuff changes over time and you really need to stay current.”

That research and constant interaction affects forests outside of New England, too. Northern hardwood forests are also found in New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, the Great Lakes region and parts of Canada. If Bartlett were to close, Stock said entire bodies of research relevant to these areas would be at risk.

“There’s pieces that we’re still learning, not to also mention that there are other kind of emerging threats and influences on forests that are coming, whether it’s changing weather, changing climate, pests [or] wildlife intensities,” he said.

The support Davis received from foresters has stuck with her through the years.

“One of the things that I think sets the Bartlett site apart is the fact that they’ve done a really wonderful job of providing practical information,” she said. “There’s just no substitute for that.”

Despite strong support from Gov. Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire lawmakers rejected a bill that would have required private insurers to cover a state-run mental health program for children.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to send Senate Bill 498 to interim study, delaying action on legislation that would have required private insurers to help fund the state’s Families and Systems Together (FAST) Forward program.

It’s a wraparound care model that provides personalized services such as peer support, crisis planning, and family-focused care for patients aged 5 to 21.

Ayotte, in a statement, said she is disappointed to see “elected representatives choose subsidizing insurance companies over kids’ mental health care.”

“I’m not giving up on this, and I’ll continue working to ensure our children — and their families — get the care and support they need,” she said.

The decision leaves the state and taxpayers on the hook to cover roughly $2 million annually for commercially insured children who rely on the program but do not qualify for Medicaid.

After the House voted down the bill, John Hunt, the chair of the House commerce committee, said Republicans agree with Ayotte that children’s mental health coverage is a serious issue, but said the bill is not the right solution and should not be addressed through a “hasty, last-second Hail Mary.”

“We look forward to studying this issue and devising a sensible and measured approach that satisfies all parties and prioritizes patient care and quality,” he wrote in a statement. “I warmly invite Governor Ayotte to join us this fall as we work on the issue. Together, Republicans, Democrats and the corner office have the opportunity to come together and deliver a reasonable solution for the people of New Hampshire.”

The bill was sent to an interim study in a 188-164 vote.

Insurers push back

The FAST Forward program coordinates services tailored to each child’s needs, helping families access mental health care, crisis support, care coordination, and other resources aimed at improving long-term outcomes. 

The program’s effectiveness comes from its wraparound approach, which bundles services together.

But private insurers typically cover only some services rather than the full scope of services provided.

Around 12:45 a.m. on Thursday, members of the Concord Police Department, while being assisted by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, raided the building at 6 S. South State St. Two search warrants were executed during the raid after a tip pertaining to drug sales in the city was made to the Concord Regional Crimeline.

After about 15 minutes, several people were in custody.

“We’re still working on the upstairs apartment, clearing that,” an officer said. “Downstairs has been cleared.”

Two others were then arrested, and the police cleared the scene.

During the incident, which lasted around 20 minutes, five people were detained: Denise Davenport, 57, of Concord, on an electronic bench warrant as well as two felony counts of acts prohibited-sale of controlled drugs; Michael Davis, 54, of Concord, on a warrant out of Merrimack County Superior Court; Crystal Marquis, 46, of Concord, on a resisting arrest or detention charge; Brittany Price, 29, of Concord, on a Merrimack County Sheriff’s Department warrant on a theft by unauthorized taking charge as well as warrants from the Hooksett police, Brentwood District Court, and two Franklin District Court warrants; and Wilkie Gabriel Reyes Reynoso, 27, of Nashua, on three felony counts of acts prohibited-possession of controlled drugs.

Davenport, Davis, Price, and Reynoso were taken to the county jail and expected to be arraigned in Concord District Court later that day. Marquis was released on a summons and is due in Concord District Court on June 15 for arraignment.

Police did not comment on what was found in the apartments.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains how to request the removal of a name from New Hampshire Patch police reports.

Davenport, according to reports on Patch, has been arrested several times, on driving charges, deal-possess prescription drugs, warrants,

Price has been arrested several times in New Hampshire on drug, theft, assault, domestic violence, criminal mischief, receiving stolen property, and other charges.

In 2019, she was charged with acts prohibited in Webster, felony theft in Epping, two felony counts of acts prohibited in Concord, and felony theft and penalty for offense committed while on bail in Concord. The Epping theft charge was nolle prossed in November 2019. The Concord acts prohibited charges were dismissed without prejudice. Price pleaded guilty to the Webster drug charge in November 2019 and received a 12-month jail sentence and a $434 fine, both suspended for three years. Price also pleaded guilty to the Concord theft charge and received a two-to-four-year prison sentence, with a mandatory minimum of two years, all suspended for five years.

Price was charged with habitual offender and felony theft in Epsom in March 2025. That case is still active. A warrant was issued for her arrest in November 2025 due to failing to appear at an arraignment. She has a dispositional conference hearing booked for July 2.

Marquis has also been arrested several times, including assault, domestic violence, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief, and heroin possession charges, and camping restriction, and generic city ordinance violations. In July 2004, according to a superior court docket, she was convicted of receiving stolen property out of Ashland.

The past criminal history of Davis and Reynoso was not readily available at the time of publication.

The building, according to previous press reports on Patch and other outlets, cost about $1.4 million to convert into apartments, with local, state, and federal taxpayer funds and block grants funding the creation of eight apartment units.

Anyone who has information relative to this incident or any other incident and wishes to remain anonymous is asked to call the Concord Regional Crimeline at 603-226-3100, or submit information online through the Crimeline website at: concordregionalcrimeline.com, or text message TIP234 and your message to CRIMES (274637). Crimeline awards cash to anyone whose information leads to the arrest and indictment of criminals. All tips remain anonymous.

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