Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The annual Massachusetts Town Forest Conference, which fosters collaboration among a range of professionals and volunteers who contribute to the management of community forests, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Stockbridge Town Offices.
The free, full-day conference recognizes local efforts to enhance the climate resilience of community forests, and underscores the indispensable role that town forests play in local ecosystems. It features presentations, networking opportunities and field tours. The audience includes foresters, planners, arborists, conservation commission members, land trusts, nonprofit organizations, forest landowners, and more.
This year’s theme is “Cultivating Healthy Forests and Communities for a Sustainable Tomorrow.”
The event will include the keynote discussion “Fenn Farm and How the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians Are Addressing the Complex History of Conservation.” It will also feature speakers from the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and a talk by Shelby Marshall from the Stockbridge Agricultural and Forestry Commission. There will also be a question-and-answer panel moderated by Patrick White, a member of the Stockbridge Select Board.
Attendees may sign up for one of two field tours between 1:30 and 3 p.m.: a tour of Gould Meadows in Stockbridge or of the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Registration is full for the third excursion, a tour of the Ice Glen old growth forest in Stockbridge, but people can join a waitlist for that tour.
Closing remarks will take place back at the Stockbridge Town Offices.
Registration and coffee will begin at 8 a.m. Free lunch and refreshments are included with registration for the event, which will conclude at 3:30 p.m. The agenda is available online, as is the required pre-registration.
The roots of the Town Forest Conference trace back to 1928, when the Massachusetts Forestry Association orchestrated the first gathering of town forest committees in Boston. In 2013, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation re-established the conference in commemoration of the centennial of the state’s town forest enabling law, the Town Forest Act of 1913.