Dartmouth Project Showcases Community Forests

Students at Dartmouth College have put together an immersive “StoryMap” to tell the Community Forest story, showcasing the wide range of benefits that communities gain from their forests, from education to income, recreation, and climate resilience.

A web-based ArcGIS StoryMap combines maps, text, and multimedia to create an interactive narrative about a place.

The new Community Forest StoryMap highlights four Center projects – one each in the communities of Errol and Milan, New Hampshire, and Bethel and Woodstock, Maine. Drone footage, ground photography, and maps literally take the reader to the site, displaying river corridors, log landings with wood products ready to go to market, recreational users enjoying trails, and volunteers helping with multiple activities. These visuals help to tell the individual stories of four Community Forests and the natural and community benefits they provide.

Aerial imagery of Errol Community Forest in northern New England

The Dartmouth students – Isabel Squier, Hayden Miller, Ben DiGiovanni, and Karis Short – visited Errol Town Forest at 13 Mile Woods and Milan Community Forest to learn about timber management, wood harvesting, and forest products as part of the regional economy. In Maine, Bethel Community Forest and Buck’s Ledge in Woodstock provided excellent examples of Community Forests that provide recreational space and opportunities for citizens to engage through volunteerism, including tree planting and trail building.

“I love the way the students brought the story of Community Forests – and the many benefits they provide – to life,” said Program Director Julie Renaud Evans. “The format is very engaging and helps us show the impact of Community Forests.”

Dr. Karen Bieluch, a practice-based learning specialist and research associate at Dartmouth College, advised the students on their project. “Two of the richest learning outcomes from this partnership were that students learned – both through visiting these communities and interviewing community members – about the strengths, challenges, and beauty of rural communities in the Northern Forest region, and they also began to see the power of volunteerism in sustaining and creating more resilient communities,” said Dr. Bieluch.

Explore the StoryMap

Scroll through the StoryMap to discover the benefits of locally owned and managed forest lands and what makes each Community Forest in our region special.

STORYMAP

This project marks the second time that Dartmouth students have engaged with the Center and our Community Forest work. In 2022, students taking a field course about Maine’s fisheries and forest industries partnered with Buck’s Ledge Community Forest in Woodstock, Maine, to install permanent carbon monitoring plots that enable the community to estimate carbon storage of the forest over time. Those plots are providing ongoing data to the Woodstock Conservation Commission that helps the commission manage the Community Forest.

The Center launched its Community Forest program in 2009 and to date, Julie has helped almost 20 communities conserve 40,000 acres for local benefit. Through a year-long community engagement process, Julie helps community members learn about owning and stewarding a parcel of land to meet community identified goals, which typically include conservation, management for timber and habitat, educational opportunities for children, and recreational space and infrastructure.

Julie is currently helping communities in western Maine establish two new Community Forests.