The Hammond Pond Wild Forest is made up of many parcels in several Adirondack towns. This map shows the bulk of the Wild Forest, which is around exits 29 and 30 on I-87, as well as parcels in Keene and Keene Valley. (Enterprise photo — Peter Crowley)

(Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the state Department of Environmental Conservation will take public comments on a viewing area at the intersection of state routes 73 and 9N in Keene. The viewing area has already been approved by the DEC and the state Adirondack Park Agency.)

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NORTH HUDSON — The state Department of Environmental Conservation will host a public meeting to get input on proposed changes to the unit management plan for Hammond Pond Wild Forest.

The public meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 at the North Hudson Town Hall, about a mile from Exit 29 off of Interstate 87.

The bulk of the Hammond Pond Wild Forest is on the east side of I-87 around exits 29 and 30. It has more than 45,000 acres of land in Adirondack towns including North Hudson, Keene and Crown Point. Current recreational uses include hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, camping, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and wildlife viewing. The DEC is in the process of revising the unit’s original 1988 plan.

Since the original UMP, more than 5,500 acres have been added to the wild forest unit, and the APA’s recent land classification package suggests adding another 192 acres.

The Hammond Pond Wild Forest’s patchwork of smaller land parcels includes the former site of an iconic red barn in Keene. A viewing area there, at the intersection of state routes 73 and 9N, was proposed early last year and unanimously approved by the state Adirondack Park Agency.

This viewing area was the first change to the UMP since 1993, when the DEC approved a generic bicycle use amendment to allow bicycling on certain trails in wild forests, including Hammond Pond.

“Management issues under consideration by DEC’s planning team include protection of the unit’s spectacular natural resources and enhancing public recreational access,” the DEC said in a press release last week on the proposed amendment to the UMP. “Upon completion of a natural resource assessment, an analysis of existing and potential uses and a review of public comments, the Hammond Pond Wild Forest planning team will prepare a draft UMP. The public will have the opportunity to review and comment on the draft UMP.”

To read the plan, visit www.dec.ny.gov/lands/51337.html. Comments on it will be taken at the public meeting or can be sent to DEC forester Corrie O’Dea at R5.UMP@dec.ny.gov.

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Former red barn site

This area offers views of the High Peaks and has been a favorite stop for sightseers and photographers, largely because of the way the old barn accentuated the landscape.

“Over time, the existing parking area has expanded outside the Route 73 (right of way) and onto the Forest Preserve,” the proposed amendment reads. “To reclaim this encroachment, a paved pull-off with 8 parking spaces will be created, and delineated with boulders to restrict future expansion.”

The DEC completed construction of the parking area this summer, prior to removing the dangerously unstable but iconic barn.

The amendment goes on to propose that “a 5(-foot-)wide hard surfaced walkway, built to (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards, will extend from the northern end of the paved parking area a short distance to a 20(-foot) diameter hard surfaced viewing area.” Picnic tables and benches will also be installed.

The barn was a landmark, but the DEC said on its Facebook page that it was finally leveled because inspections found it to be “structurally unsound and beyond repair.” DEC also discovered evidence of people entering the barn to take photos, to remove beams and siding, and to use it as a bathroom and for other activities.

The barn, a non-conforming structure under the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan, stood on state Forest Preserve lands in the wild forest classification. As such, the DEC said the barn cannot be rebuilt.

In a response to questions on Facebook at that time, the DEC wrote that any salvageable wood from the barn would be taken to one of the DEC’s maintenance centers to be used in projects on Forest Preserve lands. The DEC added that the lumber that comprised the barn is property of the state and cannot be sold or given away to private entities or persons.

“The increased risk of building collapse due to its deterioration, weight of winter snows, and the continued use by people, caused DEC to determine the building must come down to ensure public safety,” the state agency wrote on its Facebook page.