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Our Mission
The Massachusetts Forest Alliance advocates on behalf of our members for a strong, sustainable forest economy, responsible forest management practices, private land equity and the continuation of working forests on public and private lands.
Click here to read our by-laws.
Background
Today Massachusetts is both the third most densely populated and the eighth most forested state in the country. Our forestlands provide the Commonwealth’s residents with an array of services: water quality protection; soil erosion control; habitat for many wildlife species; uptake and storage of atmospheric carbon. Forests support rural economies and provide a source of reliable, renewable forest products, such as high-quality timber, pulpwood for paper products, biomass chips, fuel wood and many specialty products. All residents of Massachusetts, wherever they live, benefit from our state’s public and private forest resources. Yet, despite the fact that over 60% of our state is covered by forest, many citizens remain disconnected from local forest resource production. Massachusetts imports an alarming 98% of its forest products from around the world.
The Massachusetts Forest Alliance (MFA) was founded in 2012 for the purpose of representing and advocating for citizens and businesses who support a strong, sustainable forest economy. Three previously separate groups (the Massachusetts Wood Producers Association, the Massachusetts Association of Professional Foresters, and the Massachusetts Forest Landowners Association) voted to combine their resources into one organization, to provide a unified and consistent voice in matters of forest policy. In July of 2012, MFA’s Board of Directors began hiring a full-time staff to coordinate membership, policy, outreach, and educational efforts, develop a long-term strategic plan for the organization, and raise the funds necessary to accomplish MFA’s mission.
Vision
Our vision is a Massachusetts where:
- a strong forest economy is widely regarded as a vital component of social, economic, and environmental well-being
- forest management is recognized as a responsible and desirable approach to resource conservation
- native forest products are an integral part of the ‘Buy Local’ movement
- the legal and regulatory environment sustains forest land ownership and encourages the forest products economy to thrive
- landowners and the forest products industry participate in all phases of decisions about the state’s public and private forest resources
To fulfill its mission, MFA will:
- work with state, regional, and local officials to ensure a sensible legal and regulatory environment
- provide continuing education opportunities for landowners, foresters, timber harvesters, and public officials
- promote understanding of forest management and forest policy issues by providing high-quality information in a variety of formats