Massachusetts Town Forests Conference

The 2019 Massachusetts Town Forest Conference will be held on Saturday, September 14^th, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm at the Barber Reservation in Sherborn.

This unique annual event promises to engage and foster partnerships between the diverse professionals and volunteers that play a collaborative role in the management of community forests, including foresters, planners, arborists, conservation commission members, land trusts, non-profit organizations, forest landowners, and many more.

The conference will include morning and afternoon forestry tours, raptor demonstrations, sawmill tours, invasive plant programs, and a forest bathing walk.  Participants will be provided a free lunch if they preregister.

Schedule:

8:30 – 9:00    Registration, coffee and mingling at Sherborn Community Center,  2 Sanger Street, Sherborn, MA 01770

9:00 – 9:30    Welcome

9:30 – 10:30 Raptor presentation (Wingmasters)

10:30 -10:45 Board vans/minibus for Morning Tour

10:45 – 12:30   Morning Forestry Tour (departs from Community Center)

                                    Sherborn Town Forest firewood program

                                    Learn about local wood forest management project with Phil Benjamin, Benjamin Forestry Services

                            Morning programming at Barber Reservation:

                                    Tree Cookie Decorating

                                    Cider making demo

                                    Sherborn Forest & Trails Association maps/trails memberships and clothing sales

                                    Booths/presentations for SRLF and other groups

                                    Wes Wirth and mushrooms

                                    CSA presentations

                                    Frank Dodd and animal demo

                                    Kids/family forest tour & Reading the Forested Landscape

                                    Bird Habitat Walk

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch (at Barber Reservation—FREE to those that register)

1:30 – 3:30        Afternoon programming at Barber Reservation

                                    Forest and Invasives with Chris Politan and Ted Elliman

                                    Invasives treatment areas and results

                                    Forest Management and regeneration problems from deer browsing

                                    Forest Bathing and mindfulness walk with Nadine Mazzola, Certified Forest Therapy Guide                    

                                    Tour the Barber Reservation Historic Barn, with North Bennett Street School            

                            Afternoon Demonstrations

                                    Local Sawmill demo

                                    DCR Portable Sawmill Demo

                                    DCR Timber Frame Demo

                                    Joinery demo

                                    E. MA Woodworkers Guild (invite)

                                    Cider demonstration

3:30                Closing Refreshments/Remarks and transportation back to Community Center

 

For more information and to pre-register, see:  http://www.masswoodlands.org/events/massachusetts-town-forest-conference-sherborn-ma/

 

This event is co-hosted by the Town of Sherborn, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the USDA Forest Service.