Connecticut’s Great Mountain Forest (GMF) will be a flagship practice and education site for the New England Forestry Foundation’s (NEFF) Grow Resilient Oak Hickory Forests (GROH) cost sharing program in southern New England. This exciting partnership, part of a USDA Climate-Smart Commodities project, makes GMF a leader in using science to help our forests adapt to a changing climate.
NEFF, America’s 6th-largest land trust by acreage, chose GMF as a key partner thanks to the forest's dedicated staff, historic commitment to sustainable forestry, visionary leadership and its strong relationships with regional conservation networks and the Yale School of the Environment. GMF will host workshops in partnership with NEFF and share examples of silvicultural practices that are tailored to site conditions and promote forest health and resilience.
"This partnership is all about action," said Mike Zarfos, Executive Director of GMF. "Together, we’re helping forests and the people who care for them to combat climate change, protect biodiversity, and build ecosystem resilience while giving back to the community with good jobs and, eventually, ethically sourced timber."
GMF-hosted events will include in-the-field training, woods walks and day-long workshops, giving participants actionable tools to improve forest health and cope with environmental challenges like drought and pests. These programs will involve learning about stewarding ecosystems and the countless species that depend on them, and how to boost the forests’ ability to recover from environmental disruptions.
GMF and NEFF are working directly with woodland owners, land trusts, foresters, and others to promote practices that prioritize forest health through sustainable management strategies. By implementing climate-smart practices, these landowners will be able to better protect forests against climate disturbances while continuing to produce sustainable, carbon-storing timber products—offering a win-win for the environment and the economy.
About New England Forestry Foundation
Through the application of its core expertise in conserving forestland and advancing Exemplary Forestry, New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) helps the people of New England to sustain their way of life, protect forest wildlife habitat and ecosystem services, and mitigate and adapt to climate change. In partnership with landowners, New England Forestry Foundation has conserved more than 1.2 million acres of forest since its founding in 1944. It also owns and manages more than 150 Community Forests across the region.
About Great Mountain Forest
Great Mountain Forest (GMF) is a leader in forest stewardship. For more than a century, we have been demonstrating how sustainable management can protect biodiversity and support ecosystems. By serving as a hub for education and research, we are spreading the benefits of sustainable management so that communities across New England derive educational, economic, recreational and health benefits from their forests—now and well into the future. GMF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit encompassing 6,200 acres of contiguous forestland in Norfolk, Canaan, and Falls Village Connecticut.
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