Woodlot owners invited to conservation forum

Landowners are invited to attend a Woods Forum on Tuesday, February 27th, 7:00-9:00 pm at the USDA Service Center, 195 Russell Street, Hadley, MA 01035. The Hampshire Conservation District is sponsoring the forum to help landowners make informed decisions about their woodland.

The Woods Forum will bring together local woodland owners, as well as conservation professionals, to share information and experiences and to create an informal, local network of contacts to help provide landowners with information at crucial decision making times. It will also help landowners understand how their land fits into the larger landscape and the role they can play in providing advice to other landowners.

Paul Catanzaro, a forest resources specialist, will make a brief presentation to provide background information and foster a discussion in which landowners can get answers from both neighbors and professionals.

According to Len Shuzdak, a member of the Hampshire Conservation District’s Board of Supervisors, every landowner has to make decisions about what to do with their woods at some point.

“Many landowners don't think about their woods on a day-to-day basis, except to enjoy the private, scenic and tranquil environment they live in,” said Shuzdak. “Only 15 percent of landowners in Massachusetts have a forest management plan. Even fewer have done any formal estate planning.”

Private families, individuals, trusts, and non-profits own more than three quarters of all woodland in Massachusetts. This vast expanse of privately owned woodland provides many important public benefits to local communities, such as clean water, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, wood products, a scenic backdrop for a rural tourism industry, and other forms of employment.

“Private lands are the building blocks of healthy forest ecosystems and communities in Massachusetts,” said Shuzdak. “The decisions landowners individually make have a cumulative effect on the greater forest landscape that dominates the state.”

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