BROOKS BRANCH FOREST

Brooks Branch Forest is a spectacular 204+/- acre property with plenty of river views, bold creek and several ephemeral streams; there is even a waterfall. Great building sites and plenty of trails for hiking, ATV riding or horseback riding.

Brooks Branch is a year round stream with a outstanding waterfall that was the historic sight of Brooks Branch Grist Mill.  With its hard sandrock creek bottom running  100′ above the waterfall, the mill site was just right for siting the mill, which ground grains and corn for local mountain families for many years.

Brooks Branch Forest is an exceptional recreational property and overlooks some of the 80,000 acres owned by the New River Gorge National Park. Accessed from a private lane directly off State Route 20, there are several nice building sites with views of the New River and high mountain vistas making this the perfect place to build your getaway cabin. Lots of wild turkey, white tail deer, songbirds and small furry critters call Brooks Branch Forest home.

Brooks Branch Forest is much more than just real estate; it is an opportunity for adventure. Just minutes to Bluestone Lake, Bluestone State Park and Pipestem Resort, the area around Brooks Branch Forest offers unlimited soft recreational activities including white water rafting, golfing, fishing, camping, hiking, bird watching and rock climbing. Snow skiing at the Winterplace Resort is less than an hour away. In five minutes you can catch the Amtrak train in Hinton and ride to the Greenbrier Resort, Chicago or New York City. The Beckley Airport is just 45 minutes away.

THE NEW RIVER AND BLUESTONE LAKE

The New River is the second oldest river in the world, preceded only by the Nile; it is the oldest river in North America. The New River is unique because it begins in Blowing Rock, N.C. and flows north through Virginia into West Virginia. The Nile and Amazon are the only other major rivers that also flow north. Year after year, it produces more citation fish than any other warm water river in WV. Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, sunfish, hybrid stripped bass, and muskie are all common species of fish found in the New River and Bluestone Lake.

Bluestone Lake is over 2000 acres at summer pool and is the state’s third largest body of water. Great hunting and fishing opportunities abound at the 17,632 acre Bluestone Wildlife Area adjacent to the park and nearby Camp Creek State Forest.

Extensive trails on the property are suitable for hiking, horseback riding and four wheeling.

TIMER RESOURCES AND MINERAL RIGHTS

The timber on Brooks Branch Forest has not been harvested in over 50 years and is exceptionally well stocked with mature timber as well as young and vigorous growing stock. Even though the value of the timber is considerable, the owners have chosen not to harvest the timber as they enjoy the forest as it is and wanted to leave the decision to harvest for the new owner.

With excellent hardwood quality and numerous pole-sized and sawlog-sized stems, the tract’s timber resource is well-positioned for product shifts over the coming decade which will drive its long-term asset value growth. Sawlog volumes are dominated by Sugar Maple, Yellow Poplar, Black Walnut, Black Cherry, White Oak and Red Oak, some of the fastest growing species with historically strong veneer and lumber market demand.

The oil, gas, coal, quarry (sand & stone) rights are believed to be conveyed with the surface. These rights have not been leased by the present owner.

The forest is healthy and there are no signs of pest infestations of Gypsy Moth or Emerald Ash Borer. There have been no forest fires in the past 50 years but sometime before that there was a fire on the mountain but little evidence remains except for some of the oldest trees that have fire scars.

WILDLIFE

The mix of mature timber and old fields creates the perfect wildlife habitat. This mixture makes the property a superior recreational opportunity for those that want to hunt, hike, horseback ride, ATV riding and rock crawling.

White tail deer, wild turkey, squirrel, raccoon, fox and many species of songbirds and raptors make up the resident wildlife population. It is hard to find a property that has a better mix of wildlife as there has been little to no hunting pressure since the farm was abandoned in the 1960’s. The availability of water, food and cover gives the resident wildlife every opportunity to not only survive but to thrive.

There are plenty of old den trees scattered about the forest that provide nesting habitat for small animals and song  birds.  The mature oaks and hickories provide tons of hard mast each fall and the blackberry and raspberry thickets  growing in the old fields provide the soft mast during the summer months.  There are also wild grapes, sweet cherries, persimmons, crab-apple and even the old apple trees from the farm days are still producing.

ACCESS, BOUNDARIES AND SURVEYS

Access is provided by State Route 20, an all season state-maintained paved road and then about 400’ through the Rusherd property to the Brooks Branch Forest property. Ideal internal access is provided by the established farm road that served the farm on a daily basis. There is also a series of old trails running throughout the property.

The property consists of approximately 204 acres. There is a metes and bounds description from a previous survey there is not a survey plat on file for the property. There has been a recent survey made of the adjoining property and some old fences can be found along with some of the corners called for in the deed along some of the boundary.

TAXES AND ZONING

Property taxes for the 2012 tax year were $804.34. The parcel was listed in Green Sulphur District, Summers County on Tax Map 31, parcel 33. The deed for the property is found in Deed Book 244, page 179.

As of July 2013, there is no countywide zoning in effect in Summers County. However, all prospective buyers should contact the Summers County Assessor in Hinton regarding any issues involving zoning, developments or building codes.

GOOGLE MAP INFO

GPS coordinates are Latitude 37.7135926N Longitude 080.8873745

Topographic Map: Hinton Quadrangle on USGS 7.5 minute series.