Conserving Lands for Community Benefit

The Northern Forest’s tradition of conserving land for community benefit earns boost from the U.S. Forest Service.

New England communities have long owned and managed land for public benefit, a practice that sets the region apart from other areas in the nation. Since the Center and partners formalized the model for modern Community Forests in 2007, we have worked to integrate community development as both a goal and outcome of the Community Forest concept. Towns owning land today enjoy the benefits of conservation, habitat protection, recreation space, and revenue derived from sustainable forest management.

The U.S. Forest Service’s recent announcement of its 2023 Community Forest Program Grants highlights this tradition, with 7 out of its 13 grants awarded to projects in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. This round of awards brings $3.2 million to the region for the acquisition or expansion of Community Forests, nearly three-quarters of which will benefit communities and lands across the Northern Forest.

This year’s awards include current and former Center projects. The Center is assisting Rumford, Maine, in establishing a Community Forest, and Milan, New Hampshire has just secured its third USFS award as it continues to grow its Community Forest acreage.

Creating Community Forests

Owning forestland yields many benefits to communities: income from timber harvests, support for outdoor recreation, experiential educational opportunities, and permanent protection of open space and wildlife habitat. Pioneering projects have shown that Community Forests are... Read More

Rumford Community Forest

Since April, the Northern Forest Center has been working alongside Trust for Public Land to help Inland Woods + Trails and residents of the Town of Rumford, Maine, to acquire land for the creation of a new Community Forest. The envisioned Rumford Community Forest will encompass 446 acres between Black Mountain ski area and downtown Rumford. This project is an example of Inland Woods + Trails’ larger mission to connect towns to anchor destinations, such as the ski area as well as Mahoosuc Land Trust’s Rumford White Cap Preserve located three miles away by trail.

To date, Center Program Director Julie Renaud Evans has facilitated monthly community planning meetings hosted by the Town of Rumford Planning Board to clarify community priorities and vision for the project. Last month, Inland Woods + Trails and Trust for Public Land secured two grants including $422,000 from the U.S. Forest Service Community Forest Program and $360,000 from Land for Maine’s Future. Together, these grants will support acquisition costs and additional funds will be raised to support stewardship of the parcel and other project costs.

For more information, contact Gabe Perkins at Inlands Woods + Trails; Julie Renaud Evans at the Northern Forest Center; or Lynnette Batt at Trust for Public Land.

Milan Community Forest

In 2016, the Northern Forest Center and Trust for Public Land helped the Town of Milan, New Hampshire, add 850 acres to existing town lands and officially establish the Milan Community Forest. The town set a goal of owning and managing 5,000 acres of forestland. In 2020, the Center and The Conservation Fund assisted with an additional acquisition of almost 700 acres.

With this year’s U.S. Forest Service Community Forest Program grants, Milan will be expanding the existing community forest by another 808 acres, bringing its total ownership to more than 3,500 acres.

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