Flat, peat, with some hemlock coverage. Our goal is to remove the rest of the hemlock, extract the peat, and refill the area with soil that can be farmed on.
None. It was all hemlock forest on top of peat since before my parents bought the property 38 years ago. We logged some of the hemlock about a year and a half ago and then it went straight back to doing nothing.
The property belongs to my mom. My brother and I and our families all live on the property as well. I always wanted to farm it and never understaood why my parents were content to pay so much money in property taxes every year, but no one cooperated with me until now! Now we are trying to find ways to make the property financially viable for my mom, since my dad has passed, though it's possible we may have to sell in the future. Through trial and error, I have discovered that I much prefer animals to plants, so that's what I want to focus on (cattle, goats, chickens), on other parts of the property. The five acres in the north-west corner of the property is ideal for leasing out to another farmer because it has road frontage. I like the idea of having another farmer or family to help me achieve farm status on the property (many hands make light work), though we would be working independently. I would love something that felt a bit like intentional community, so it is important to me that we are matched with someone who shares our values and worldview. To get permission to remediate the land for farming, we have to apply to the ALC and have a farm plan, and I hear they prefer plants to animals, so I hope to be matched with someone who wants to do something botanical in that area - trees, fruit, crops, market garden, something like that. It will take a year or two to complete the remediation before farming can begin.