Landowners Get Ready for Site Visit (Photo by Sue Cloutier)

Landowners Discuss Forest Management Options(Photo by Sue Cloutier)

A year-long series of workshops for landowners, coordinated by Sue Cloutier of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuges's Great Falls Discovery Center, is off to a great start!   

In January, Rich Hubbard of the Franklin Land Trust explained conservation easements to 26 participants.  Then Robert A. Levite, Esq. of UMass Extension discussed new charitable tax benefits provided by Congress and signed by the President in 2006. He, and several representatives from area land trusts, offered to help the landowners navigate the complexities of enrolling.

In April, Jay Healy facilitated an informal evening discussion of sustainable forestry with 20 participants who braved snowy weather to attend. As owner of Hall Tavern Farm in Charlemont and former state legislator and agricultural commissioner, Jay is well qualified to discuss the financial, agricultural, and environmental aspects of land management. Over the years, the Hall Tavern Farm has evolved to meet changing market conditions, from dairy, through poultry, briefly in vegetables, and today as a managed forest, wood products and agricultural enterprise. Jay shared his experience operating a value-added processing business, where he harvests pine and oak from his tree farm, selling value added products such as flooring, timbers, and certified green lumber with the Massachusetts Woodlands Cooperative. Participants were able to ask questions that related to managing their own woodlots and the resulting conversations engaged all past the scheduled closing time.

On Saturday, April 14, Lincoln Fish, a consulting forester who works with the Greenfield Conservation Commission to manage their town forests, led a site visit/workshop. Ten participants toured a recently harvested area with Mr. Fish and Chris Kennick, the logger who performed the work.  The forester and logger explained how the harvest was designed and implemented to meet multiple objectives including recreational opportunity, aesthetics, wildlife habitat and forest productivity.

To complete the series, in June, there will be a site visit with Jill Liske-Clark, Upland Program Coordinator for MassWildlife, and Jeff Taylor of Vegetation Control Services who will discuss different management plans, funding sources, and equipment used for early successional habitats. In August, there will be a site visit to demonstrate aspects of wildlife management planning on a property and in October, there will be a site visit to look at issues related to managing invasive species.

The events are co-sponsored by Pioneer Valley Institute, Greenfield Conservation Commission, Sierra Club, Bay State Forestry, Friends of Great Falls Discovery Center, Department of Conservation and Recreation, and Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.   The series is funded through the Regional Challenge Cost-Share Program.