Valnère and Hilary, two of Patricia and Oliver Underhill’s daughters
In the summer of 2025, a group of siblings protected their 258-acre property in Bethlehem, New Hampshire by donating a conservation easement to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
Oliver (“Red”) and Patricia Underhill purchased the forestland in 1946. In 1956, Red enrolled the property in the American Tree Farm System, making it one of the oldest Tree Farms in the country today. “Both my parents loved Underhill Acres, but in my father's later years it became the essence of his being,” says daughter, Hilary Veilleux. “He just loved this land. I think he would be very happy knowing it is now protected with the Forest Society.”
The easement ensures that the family can continue owning and managing the land while permanently protecting its diverse, carefully managed forests; important wildlife habitat; and more than a mile of frontage along a perennial stream and the Gale River—both part of the Ammonoosuc River Watershed. Abutting a section of the White Mountain National Forest, Underhill Acres strengthens a growing network of conserved lands that support biodiversity, wildlife connectivity, and climate resilience.
“Underhill Acres is part of the Forest Society’s neighborhood—just over the hill from The Rocks,” says Jack Savage, president of the Forest Society. “We’re grateful to this family for their dedication to sustainable forestry and for making sure this special place will remain for generations to come.”
While the conservation easement was donated by the family, funding for the Forest Society’s transaction and long-term stewardship costs came in part from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Upper Connecticut River Mitigation and Enhancement Fund and the State Conservation Committee’s Conservation Moose Plate Grant Program.
“This land has given us so much—solitude, rejuvenation, laughter, sledding, hiking, snowshoeing, family times, birds, animals, and beauty. It does not owe us anything,” adds Hilary. “We ‘owe’ the land, and by managing it sustainably, we can give back some of what we’ve received and ensure that future generations will experience its beauty.”
Underhill Acres will be featured as the host property for the New Hampshire Tree Farm Program’s Annual Tree Farm Field Day on September 13, 2025, celebrating exemplary forest stewardship across the state. For more details, visit https://nhtreefarm.org/you-are-invited-to-our-2025-annual-tree-farm-field-day-on-september-13-at-underhill-acres-in-bethlehem-n-h/.
For more information about conservation easements and stewardship, please visit https://www.forestsociety.org/Easement-Stewardship.
Photo details for below: A field trip around Underhill Acres at a recent Forest Society Annual Meeting; Protected forests along Gale River; and Northern hardwood forest.
