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Directors Note - July 2025

Reminder: Our mailing address is PO Box 6058, Santa Fe, NM 87502

It’s summer and Guild members and staff are out in the woods across the country – except those participating in the 9th American Forest Congress in Washington DC. The 9AFC is a chance to think about the big ideas to guide the next decades of stewardship. The previous congresses have been important for the Guild’s work and the 9th is a chance to discuss crucial topics like the structure of our national wildfire response and to push for ecological integrity as a north-star for forest management.

Guild members’ practical experience and focus on solutions gives the Guild a bigger role in forest policy than other organizations of our size. The recent Position Statement on Stewardship of Old Forests and Trees is a great example of our positive influence.

If you haven’t already, please renew your Guild membership today! We need you as we advance a culture of forest stewardship based on ethical principles, science, and diverse experience.

Thank you,

Zander

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News from the Forest

From Leopold to Today: A Legacy of Conservation in the Upper Rio Grande

Written by Christi Bode

New approaches often defy the status quo.

From the east-facing front porch, I take in a sweeping view of the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Somewhere in between the peel-log posts and jagged horizon lies the Rio Grande Gorge, a deep chasm sculpted by the interplay of geology and water.

Read more

University of Alabama group in front of Caring Days sign

Red Hills Tour Report

Written by Esme Cadiente

In May 2025, the Forest Stewards Guild gathered a group of forest and conservation professionals at Tall Timbers Research Station in the Red Hills region of Florida and Georgia to explore fire-adapted forest management practices, biodiversity conservation, and the legacy of private land stewardship.

Read more

International Knowledge Exchange: Talking Fire with a Delegation from Brazil

Written by Rachel Bean

Managing wildfires and the landscapes through which they burn is a complex job that spans jurisdictions, geographic boundaries, and timeframes (preparing before, managing during, and recovering after the fire). In the U.S., wildfire management requires that many different federal and state agencies, Tribes, and others agree on a cohesive approach, or strategy, for each fire. Read more

Upcoming Events

Lots coming up in the Guild this month—don’t forget to check out the Webinar Library to stay updated! It’s a great way to revisit past events, catch up on what you may have missed, or stay in the loop with all things Guild-related.

July 22 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET	Waterville, ME	Action for Ash Day: Inventory and Long-term Monitoring Plots Training
July 24 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. MT	Vadito, NM	Guild Gathering: Mushrooms as Forest Health Indicators – a 30th anniversary celebration series event
August 5 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET	Hartford, CT	FSC US 2025 Northeast Region Stakeholders Meeting
Sept 10 & 11 All day	St Louis, MO	FSC US Stewardship in Action Meeting 2025
September 29 - October 2 8:00 am - 5:00 p.m. ET	West Lafayette, IN	NCFPW 2025: Application of Digital Technology for Forest Health
October 9 - October 11 Time: TBD	Cloverdale, OR	Northwest Innovative Forestry Summit 2025
November 18 -20 Time: TBD	Flagstaff, AZ	Ponderosa Pine Utilization Summit

Welcome New Members

Thank you all for being part of this community. It's a new membership year, running July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026! Join or renew today.

If you joined since our June e-newsletter edition, your name will appear in this section of our August e-news. We're so happy you are here!

Notes

Guild efforts are getting attention!

Guild member's perspective on impacts to Maine's forests and wildlife refuges Guild member Amanda Mahaffey shares her thoughts about current impacts to Maine's forests and wildlife refuges. Courtesy of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and The Portland Press Herald.

Share your opinion with NRCS NRCS seeks public comments on several recently revised conservation practice standards. Two are relevant to forestry and natural resource professionals: Access Control (Code 472) and Wildlife Habitat (Code 645). The public has until July 30th to submit comments at: federalregister.gov

In addition to the new Position Statement on Stewarding Old Forests and Trees, the Guild is supporting the Northeast Old Growth Conference hosted by UVM, and a focus issue on Stewarding Old and Mature Forests in the journal Environmental Research Ecology. If you have research you’d like to share, please consider contributing to this issue. It is a nice opportunity to build on the Position Statement, and timely as the publisher is waiving publication charges through April 2026.

Publications

Wildfire suppression depends on land management New research highlights the crucial connection between forest management, particularly fuel treatments, and wildfire suppression.

2024 Wildfire Season: An Overview Southwestern US A detailed look at the 10 largest wildfires in AZ and NM, exploring causes, impacts, and suppression strategies. Published June 2025.

Jobs

Check our full jobs page! There are regular updates on opportunities in support of healthy forests, communities, and ecosystems!

Our Supporters

The Guild depends on support from donors and members. Thank you for all you do to support our collective vision of ecologically, economically, and socially responsible forestry.

Stewards Circle Donors who have given since our June e-newsletter edition will be recognized in this section of our August e-newsletter (by name or anonymous). We are thrilled to be on this journey with you!