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A note from the Director
Best wishes to all at this time of holidays, cold nights, warm lights, and the new year! It’s time to celebrate 2019 and look forward to 2020. For the Guild, the past year was full of hard work and not without struggle, but I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished together – thank you! Because we’re starting our 25th year, it feels appropriate to look back a full quarter century and honor our collective work towards ecologically, economically, and socially responsible forestry from coast to coast. And while Guild members and staff have done much to restore forests to health, engage landowners in stewardship, promote sound policy, and demonstrate acre by acre that a balanced approach is possible, there is still much to do! I hope we can all leap into 2020 with the clear vision – 20/20 sight – that the times require and rise to challenges of the next quarter century.
This is a tall order and none of us can do it alone, which is why I’m so thankful for everyone’s support of our annual appeal. We need the next generation of forest stewards, like those who participated in the Guild’s collaborative prescribed fire. We need new ideas and research on restoration. And sometimes, we just need a good book to read by the fire. I hope all of you find ways to celebrate this season with friends or family.
Thank you for being part of the Forest Stewards Guild,
NEWS FROM THE FOREST
Review of An Active Hand, by Peter Bundy
Written by Zander Evans.
Long time Guild member, Peter Bundy, published a new book this fall that would make a great holiday gift for any forest steward. Sections of An Active Hand read like conversations I have at the end of a Guild Gathering when we gather in a local pub to ponder what we’ve learned on a woodlot. Peter tackles important, almost philosophical questions such as the meaning of sustainable forestry. For many guild members, parts of An Active Hand will be familiar. For example, his pithy description of species gradients that follow moisture and topography should be familiar to all foresters, even if the species examples are from a different region. By starting with fundamentals, Peter has provided a book that is accessible without a forestry degree, while the call to consider restoration forestry will engage even the most seasoned professional.
Read More
Bringing it all together on Wind Mountain
Written by Matt Piccarello
Work at the Guild long enough and you stop seeing any one project in isolation. You can’t help but see every relationship and every treated acre as the sum of years of stacked effort and accomplishments. While this phenomenon is not unique to any one Guild project, it was particularly apparent to me on the Wind Mountain prescribed fire in October where years of work culminated in getting fire on the ground and the entire Forest Stewards Youth Corps (FSYC) Fall Fire & Fuels program on the fire line.
For the Guild’s Sam Berry, it was a rewarding experience to see FSYC crew members put all their training into practice. “The Wind Mountain prescribed burn was especially fulfilling for me because I saw the immediate results of all of the training and work the crews had done."
Read More
June 2020 conference in Quebec City promotes ecosystem restoration 
Written by Michael Leff.
If you’re looking for an excuse to visit Quebec City next spring (and you should be), I’ve got just the thing: the Quebec RE3 Conference “From Reclaiming to Restoring to Rewilding,” to be held June 7-11, 2020 – at the dawn of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
The conference is a joint effort sponsored by three organizations: the Canadian Land Reclamation Association (CLRA), the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS), and my favorite, the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER). (Full disclosure, I’m a conference organizer on the board of the SER New England Chapter.)
Read More
Celebrating the Guild's 25 years...
 Thank you to all renewed members, voting members, and to all who have generously supported our end-of-year giving goals. We have met our Stewards Circle level donation goal of $2,500 in December! We still have $420 to go for our $25/day goal. Of course, if we surpass either goal, its all the better in our 25th anniversary year! If you haven't already, please consider a donation now. Next year is just around the corner! Also, remember to offer up reflections, photos, and other celebrations you may have to share on our anniversary webpage! Email colleen@forestguild.org.
MPC Update
Membership and Policy Council elections are complete!
From Robert Turner, current MPC Chair: Our annual vote to select MPC members closed on December 14. We want to thank all of the professional members that voted. The turnout was solid (about 30%) and on par with recent past elections. Guild members approved revisions to the membership and policy guidelines to ensure the Guild continues to function smoothly and represent members well. The newly elected MPC members include Laura Schweitzer (CO), Justin Hart (AL), and Mark Vander Meer (MT). Shane Hetzler (OR) was re-elected for a second term. We feel deeply grateful to all that stepped up as candidates. We also recognize the service and commitment of departing members Amy LaBarge and Nancy Patch. I will also be leaving the MPC. It has truly been a privilege to serve with all the members of the MPC for the last three years. Your MPC is in a strong position to sustain the important membership and policy work of this organization!
Upcoming Events
Want Forest Stewards Guild members to know about an event? Have a 2019 Guild Gathering site or project idea? Let us know! Email colleen@forestguild.org.
Welcome New Members
Professional members
Rosa Goldman, Quiet Corner Initiative
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New Haven, CT
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Jeff Horan, US Fish and Wildlife Service
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Holyoke, MA
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Carolyn Loeb, Nature, Economy, and People Connected (NEPCon)
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Burlington, VT
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Affiliate members
Rob Brown
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LaGrange, KY
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Brian Cleary
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Overland Park, KS
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Steve Danielovich, Consulting Forester
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North Sandwich, NH
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Nancy Shimeall,
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Redmond, WA
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Student members
Melanie Alderton, Humboldt State University
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Glendora, CA
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Elizabeth-Ann Jamison, University of Vermont
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Schenectady, NY
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Brandon Prehn, University of British Columbia
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Dallas, TX
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Maxwell Richcreek, Oregon State University
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Lakeside, OR
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Laura Sawyer
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Monticello, AR
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Rachel Stafford, University of Maine
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Orono, ME
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Jordan Stewart, Hocking College
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New Concord, OH
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Jonathan Swett, University of New Hampshire
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Newmarket, NH
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Matthew Wedge, Paul Smith's College
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Verona, NY
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Stewards Circle Donors
Thank you to all of our Stewards Circle donors for supporting the Guild's work!
Elizabeth Celio
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Oak Park, IL
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Dan Donahue
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Ashford, CT
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Tom Gaman
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Inverness, CA
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Kathleen Holian
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Glorieta, NM
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Benjamin Lupkin
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Evanston, IL
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Organizational Sponsors
Thank you to our organizational sponsors! Your support is essential to fulfilling our mission of putting the forest first.
How to help
Our 25th anniversary year is almost here! Become an organizational sponsor or join our Stewards Circle today! In fact, a donation at any level directly supports our forests and the fulfillment of our December giving goals. We also welcome professional and affiliate members who advance the stewardship of forests across the landscape.
You can also support the Forest Stewards Guild by shopping on Amazon Smile for any holiday gifts you cannot buy locally. And, share our GuideStar Profile with anyone looking for an upstanding charity.
Notes
Thank you to all who have renewed membership with the Guild. If you haven't gotten to it yet, please renew today by mail or online. If you need assistance, we are happy to help. Just email membership@forestguild.org.
Our Guild staff retreat was a huge success! 21 Guild staffers met in Loveland, Colorado in early December to coordinate, clarify, plan, and support our work across the regions. This powerhouse of talent is dedicated and passionate about our collaborative work, even as many of our efforts take place far from one another. Rare opportunities to bring us all together make a huge difference in our effectiveness, learning, strategizing, and understanding. Plus, we're just a great group to be around! Thank you to all who support Guild staff in the critical programs we maintain and launch.
Baskahegan Company sells carbon credits. Baskahegan Company, a Forest Stewardship Council certified forest and Forest Stewards Guild Organizational Sponsor, is proud to announce the sale of carbon offset credits from the Blue Source – Baskahegan Improved Forest Management Project in Brookton, Maine.
The Guild's own Gabe Kohler posted a blog featured in the Fire Learning Network in December! "Five Do's and Don'ts of Hosting a Learning Exchange: Reflections from Two FACNM Exchanges."
Wood buildings are climbing skyward - with pluses for the planet. Guild founding member and executive director of New England Forestry Foundation, Bob Perschel, adds insight to this WAPO article.
Have notes you'd like to share with fellow Guild members? Contact Colleen Robinson, membership@forestguild.org.
Publications and Research
Carbon sequestration and biodiversity co‐benefits of preserving forests in the western USA. Smart land management can mitigate the effects of climate-induced ecosystem changes to biodiversity and watersheds. Polly C. Buotte, Beverly E. Law, William J. Ripple, Logan T. Berner, Ecological Applications, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/eap.2039.
Jobs
Be sure to check out the job opportunities in forest stewardship on the Forest Stewards Guild webpage! For a short while longer, there are fire management job openings with the Guild. Also open is the Manager of Oregon State University Extension's Forestry and Natural Resource Mgmt Fire Program, a Strategic Communications Director position in Connecticut, a Timber Management Officer in New Mexico and many more!
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