Working with the Education, Outreach & Research Committee, the Woodlands Partnership has hosted a number of webinars on forest health, climate change, and natural resources.
- Oaks in New England Forests: Keystones for Biodiversity and Resiliency, December 11, 2021. Local experts Dr. Desiree Narango of UMass Amherst and Logan Johnson of the Forest Stewards Guild talk about the essential role oaks play in supporting a complex web of wildlife and the resilience of our woods. How can we help sustain the oaks?
- Climate Change and Forest Management 101, January 25, 2023. Alexandra Kosiba, PhD, addresses how climate change and other stressors pose a threat to our forests and how we can think about and manage forests to bolster their resilience and adaptation to change. Kosiba discusses how forests help us mitigate climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide and the important tradeoffs we need to keep in mind.
- Waste or Resource? A Panel Discussion on Wood Residue, February 2, 2023. Joining this discussion is Ben Kargère of Williams College, who shares findings from his study on how wood residue is being handled in the Northwest Massachusetts region, Andre Strong Bear Heart Gaines, Jr., a citizen of the Nipmuc people, Sean Mahoney of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Jay Healy of Hall Tavern Farm, and Emily Boss of the Massachusetts Woodlands Institute. The discussion focuses primarily on potential uses of woody debris or residue in the region: low-value woody materials that are often a byproduct of town utility or roadway maintenance or sawmill operations that cannot or should not be left in place. These materials often have low value in the current marketplace, though there may be creative and beneficial uses for the material within the community.
Watch all these and more at Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts – YouTube
