The Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts, in partnership with Mass Audubon, the Ohketeau Cultural Center, and many others, debuted a new website, TheForestCenter.org, at its Annual Meeting June 26, 2024 at the Rowe Center. This collaborative web-based resource, “The Forest Center of Northwest Massachusetts,” is funded through a state Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Regional Action Grant, led by the Town of Rowe, and with the participation of many communities.
TheForestCenter.org is intended to help connect town officials and volunteers with science-based information, programs that offer technical assistance and funding, and resources on how to care for these important natural landscapes amid warming temperatures and changing conditions. The information provided is also broadly applicable to anyone looking to learn more about the diverse forest types of the Northwest Massachusetts region, conservation options, Indigenous land stewardship, and a range of stewardship approaches from passive to active.
The website was developed as part of the Forest Climate Resilience Program (FCRP), a multi-partner initiative hosted by Mass Audubon that has been advancing climate-smart forest stewardship in Northwest Massachusetts and informing work across the Commonwealth by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation and a large group of conservation non-profits. The FCRP has trained foresters in planning for climate resilience and worked with six towns to complete Forest Stewardship Climate Plans for 11 different forest properties. Through the regional MVP grant, several towns including Conway, Heath, and the Shelburne Falls Fire District have also received support to better understand their community’s Forest Stewardship Climate Plan and information about how their community can partner with Indigenous land stewards.
Working with the Woodlands Partnership and New England Forestry Foundation, the FCRP is currently supporting two municipalities in implementing Climate Plan recommendations — Pelham Lake Park in Rowe and Notch Reservoir in North Adams. These sites will serve as demonstration forests, providing real-life opportunities to research and learn about climate change, forest resilience, and climate-smart forestry including establishment of monitoring plots.
The FCRP hosted a series of public woods walks, webinars, and focus groups to gather feedback about what information and assistance was needed for both municipalities and community members. The project team worked collaboratively with Indigenous-led organizations to include their perspectives about how Indigenous land stewardship can be better integrated into forest stewardship. Workshops and feedback sessions were held in order to integrate Indigenous-led land stewardship into The Forest Center of Northwest Massachusetts. TheForestCenter.org is strengthened by the inclusion of municipalities, community members, Indigenous partners, state agencies, and conservation and natural resource professionals. Local community volunteers who serve on the Woodlands Partnership Board support and guide this work, ensuring that it is informed by the grassroots level.
Visit TheForestCenter.org to check out the information and features now available.
Partners who have contributed to TheForestCenter.org website include: the towns of Rowe, Conway, Heath and the Shelburne Falls Fire District; Department of Conservation & Recreation; Franklin Land Trust; Franklin Regional Council of Governments, Mass Audubon, Massachusetts Woodlands Institute, Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program; New England Forestry Foundation, No Loose Braids, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science; Ohketeau Cultural Center and Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts.
Read the Greenfield Recorder’s coverage here!
*On Oct. 11, 2022, the Board of the public body created in 2018 voted unanimously to change its name from the “Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership” in its bylaws to operating as the “Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts” and requested the state legislature and USDA Forest Service to officially establish and recognize the new name.
