50 Main Street
Stockbridge
MA
The Massachusetts Town Forest Conference is an annual gathering that brings together a diverse group of foresters, planners, arborists, conservation commission members, land trusts, nonprofit organizations, forest landowners, and more dedicated to the stewardship of community forests. The conference highlights local efforts to enhance the climate resilience of our community forests and emphasizes the crucial role town forests and open spaces play in maintaining our local ecosystems.
This year’s conference will be held in Stockbridge on Saturday, October 19. The day will begin at 8 am at the Stockbridge Town Offices with speakers, exhibitors (including MFA), and networking opportunities, followed by lunch. In the afternoon, attendees will select one of three field tours that promise to be both informative and inspiring. The day will wrap up at 3:30 pm.
The conference is entirely FREE – including a complimentary lunch – but registration is required. Hurry, because last year’s conference sold out fast!
Click here to register for the conference.
Theme: Cultivating Healthy Forests and Communities for a Sustainable Tomorrow
MORNING STOCKBRIDGE TOWN OFFICES
7:30 – 8 am Exhibitors arrive and set up
8 – 9 am Registration, Coffee & Refreshments & Visit with Exhibitors
9 – 9:15 am Welcome, DCR Commissioner or Designee (invited), Stockbridge Agricultural and Forestry Commission
9:15 – 9:45 Keynote ; Fenn Farm and How the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians are Addressing the Complex History of Conservation
9:45 – 10:15 The Massachusetts Forests Under a Changing Climate –Christina McKeown, DCR Climate Forester
10:15 – 10:30 BREAK, Refreshments & Visit with Exhibitors
10:30 – 11 am Massachusetts Forest Health Update, Nicole Keleher, DCR Director of Forest Health
11:00 – 11:30 Management Options for Hemlocks, Tom Ryan, DCR Management Forester, South Berkshire District
11:30 – Noon Q&A Panel
Noon – 12:15 Stockbridge Mountain Forest Stewardship Plan, Shelby Marshall, Stockbridge Agricultural & Forestry Commission
12:15 – 1 pm LUNCH
AFTERNOON
FIELD TOURS (Attendees choose one field tour)
1 – 1:15 pm LOAD BUSES 1:15 – 1:30 TRAVEL to Field Tour location 1:30 – 3 pm (Attendees choose one field tour)
FIELD TOUR A: Ice Glen Old Growth Forest Tour Lead: Bob Leverett, co-founder of the Native Tree Society
Ice Glen Ash and Hemlock treatments Tour Lead: Ken Gooch, DCR Forest Health Program (retired)
FIELD TOUR B: Gould Meadows Invasives control, grassland habitat, and native plant restoration
Tour Leads: Ron Brouker, Stockbridge Conservation Commission, Chair, Jess Toro, Native Habitat Restoration
FIELD TOUR C: Berkshire Botanical Garden Native Plant Meadow and Botanical Garden tour
Tour Lead: Thaddeus Thompson, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Co-Executive Director
Botanical Garden Tree Walk: Expert Care and Preservation of Specimen Trees
Tour Lead: Tom Ingersoll, Ingersoll Land Care, Berkshire Botanical Garden Trustee, and Licensed Arborist.
3 – 3:15 pm RETURN to Stockbridge Town Offices
3:15 – 3:30 Closing Remarks Stockbridge Agricultural & Forestry Commission, Colin Mettey, DCR Service Forestry
Post-Event Self-Guided Tours
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Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians self-guided walking tour of Stockbridge
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Laurel Hill Association “in-town” trails