Inches Woods
This is a twenty-four acre parcel of mixed deciduous and coniferous wooded upland and vegetated wetland with trailheads at Depot Road and at the end of Emanuel Road (with parking), and a trail link to the Hager land. Based on Thoreau’s journal records of his walks in Boxborough in November of 1860, this land was a part of the “Inches Woods” described in Journal Nine.
A red trail leads from Depot Road to the circle in Emanuel Road Extension (a great cut-through for people wanting to access the Joseph/Emanuel neighborhood from Depot). A yellow trail branches from the red, near the Emanuel exit, looping through the forest, past the wetlands with a nice view to the pond area, then into the Hager parcel.
The land became available for purchase in 2009. As the land was under Chapter 61 protection, the town had the right of first refusal. At this point it was under agreement for up to seven houses. With the state of the economy in 2009, the Town transferred their right of refusal to the BCTrust. To pay for the land, the BCTrust had to subdivide the parcel, and four house lots were created. The BCTrust worked with the builder to create a one acre easement at the back of the house lots to create a buffer between the backyards and the conserved land. The new trails were opened at a ribbon cutting on October 14, 2017.
