Background

The Massachusetts Forest Trust is a 501(c)(3) affiliate of the Massachusetts Forest Alliance and exists for the purpose of supporting the tax-exempt educational and outreach activities of MFA.  The Massachusetts Forest Trust has a separate Board of Directors and governing bylaws.  The Forest Trust is categorized as a public charity, can apply for and receive grants and is eligible to receive tax-deductible donations.

The Massachusetts Forest Trust was founded in 1970 as the Massachusetts Land League to encourage forest landowners to care for their woodlands and conserve them for the use and enjoyment of future generations.  The Land League operated as the Massachusetts Forestry Association from 1985 until 2007 when members voted to change its name to the Massachusetts Forest Landowners Association to emphasize the Land League’s focus on landowners and landowner issues.  In 2012 the organization joined forces with the Massachusetts Forest Alliance in an effort to unite forest landowners and forest industry professionals with a common goal of advancing policies that support forestland ownership in the Commonwealth.  The organization subsequently changed its name to the Massachusetts Forest Trust.

To help forest landowners protect their land for future generations, the Massachusetts Forest Trust acts as a land trust and will accept donations of conservation restrictions or woodlands outright.  The Forest Trust favors protection of working forests managed to grow forest products.  To date, the Massachusetts Forest Trust has directly protected more than 1,000 acres of forests statewide, and worked with other conservation organizations on the protection of 2,100 more acres.

Massachusetts Forest Trust Board of Directors

Dicken Crane, President
Charlie Thompson, Treasurer
Phil Benjamin
Fred Heyes
Chris Mossman
Bill Pike
Holly Robert