1 College Drive
Greenfield
MA
The Massachusetts Forest Alliance will hold its Annual Meeting and Workshops at Greenfield Community College on Saturday, October 26th.
With a theme of “The Future of Wood,” it will include discussions of new wood products and technologies that will influence wood markets in the years ahead, and workshops on topics such as forest health, timber taxes, carbon credits and laws affecting forestry.
If you are interested in forests and forestry, you will be sure to find something of interest at the Annual Meeting, so plan to be in Greenfield on October 26th!
At the noontime luncheon, the Alliance will present awards for Wood Producer of the Year, Forester of the Year, Friend of Forestry, Forest Steward of the Year, and the Aldo Leopold Conservation Award.
Cost to attend the Annual Meeting is $50 for MFA members, $75 for non-members.
Annual Meeting Schedule
8:00-8:30 GCC Pellet Boiler Room Tour
8:30-9:00 Registration/Coffee/Exhibitors
9:00-9:15 Welcome/Exhibitor Intro
9:15–10:15 New and Emerging Wood Markets – Charles Levesque, Innovative Natural Resource Solutions
A discussion of the newest and future wood products, and how they might affect markets and wood demand in Massachusetts
10:15-10:45 Exhibitors
10:45-11:45 Workshop Block 1 (3 workshop choices)
- Timber Taxes – An examination of timber taxes incurred with a timber sale, and strategies for minimizing the tax burden for landowners – Linda Wang, USFS Timber Tax Specialist
- Carbon Credits – A discussion of the Tri-City carbon credit program in Massachusetts, and the potential future for forest landowners
- Laws affecting forest management projects, including easements by prescription, titles by adverse possession, and rights of way – attorney Syd Smithers
11:45-12:00 Council Meetings
The Foresters Council and the Wood Producers Council will meet and discuss future plans and programming for foresters and timber harvesters
12:00-1:30 Awards Luncheon
Award Presentations:
- Leopold Conservation Award)
- Douglas B. Cook Wood Producer of the Year Award
- Howard F. Mason Forester of the Year Award
- Friend of Forestry Award
- John H. Lambert, Jr. Forest Stewardship Award
1:30-2:00 MFA Business Meeting/Exhibitors
2:00-3:00 Workshop Block 2 (3 workshop choices)
- NEFF PTIF – A discussion of the Pooled Timber Income Fund for landowners to consider as a tax/investment strategy
- Forest Health Issues – The latest news on forest health, including new and emerging threats, from DCR’s Forest Health staff
- Landowner Roundtable – A discussion of landowner education needs and the future of the Massachusetts Forest Trust
3:00-4:00 Cross Laminated Timber Panel Discussion with New England Forestry Foundation, Dr. Peggi Clouston, and Jeff Hutchins
Panel discussion of mass timber technologies, including:
- Review of the carbon benefits of building with wood technology
- Example buildings using mass timber products
- Research on use of Massachusetts wood in CLT products
- Market analysis and research by MIT and others into CLT
- Possible economic impacts on Massachusetts forest products industry
4:00 Closing/Continuing Education Certificates
The Annual Meeting has been approved for 3.0 Mass Forester Continuing Education Credits in Category I, and 1.5 Mass CFEs in Category II, 4.5 Mass Timber Harvester Continuing Education Credits, and 2.5 Connecticut Forester CEUs. SAF CFEs are pending.
Questions? Contact Chris Egan at cegan@massforestalliance.org or 617-645-1191.
Would you like to donate an item for the silent auction? Contact Jamie Dammann at jdammann73@gmail.com or 603-496-7898.
You can register online for the meeting at https://mfa-annual-meeting-2019.eventbrite.com.
Do you prefer to do things the old-fashioned way? Click here to download a paper form and mail it in with a check – it must arrive at the MFA offices by October 23.