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Resources on Community-Owned Forests
Case Studies | Governance Models | Websites
Acquiring
and
Managing a Community-Owned Forest: A Manual for
Communities
Communities Committee, 2008.
This manual provides a guide for communities interested in establishing a community‐owned forest, whether just beginning to think about a project or re‐engaging community residents around land already in community ownership. Creating and managing a community‐owned forest requires the collaborative development of a community vision and mission for the forest, a commitment to sharing in the costs and benefits of that forest, and the crafting of a governance and operational structure that ensures consistent, long‐term management for forest resiliency and sustainability. Our manual includes step-by-step advice on getting started, engaging the broader community, financing acquisition, and long-term management and stewardship, as well as an extensive, annotated list of additional resources.
Case Studies
Arcata, CA Community Forest
The Arcata Community Forest and Jacoby Creek Forest totals 1984 acres of forested uplands and consists of two separate tracts. The City also owner over 600 acres of wetland/riparian lowlands that are within the same small costal watersheds. Much of the acreage was purchased in the 1930’s and 1940’s for municipal watershed/water supply purposes but is no longer used for water supply. The forest is a 120-year-old second growth redwood stand. Other species include Douglas fir, Grand fir, Western hemlock and Sitka spruce.
Bayfield Wisconsin County Forest
The Wisconsin Legislature passed the Forest Crop Law in 1927 authorizing counties to create county forests from tax delinquent lands. In 1929 the Legislature passed legislation that specifically exempted counties from having to pay the “acreage share fee” that private landowners had to pay. In 1931 legislation was passed providing county forests a payment of 10 cents an acre annually for all acres in County Forests, which was required to be used solely for the development of the forests. In return for this aid counties were required to pay a 75 percent severance tax to the state from forest products cut from their forests.
Brushwood Community Forest Initiative
Within the ecologically significant Connecticut River Valley, and spanning the towns of West Fairlee and Fairlee, lies a unique forest of over 10,000 acres in the heart of Orange County, Vermont. Located in a geographic area known locally as the Brushwood Forest, this expanse of forestland is one of the last significant undeveloped forest blocks in the area, connecting communities through an established trail network. Its diverse natural communities, large wetland complexes, and vernal pools offer critical habitat for wildlife, while oak-dominated stands boast highly productive soil for forestry. The Brushwood Forest has linked people to their landscape for generations through a long history of private forest stewardship, recreation and environmental education.
Choices and Challenges in Town Forest Management
Report from a Community Forest Workshop. Gorham, New Hampshire. National Community Forestry Research Center. September 13, 2003.
This workshop examined:
• How to engage a community in planning for its town-owned forests;
• How citizens can influence decision-making with respect to the use of town forests;
• Options for how to use town-owned forest resources;
• Challenges in management and use of town-owned forests;
• Strategies and resources for overcoming these challenges;
• Setting community-wide goals for managing town-owned forest resources; and
• Questions and lessons to share with other towns.
Community Forests: A Community Investment Strategy
Community Forestry Collaborative, 2007
Defines a community forest model and analyzes the potential role of community forests in strategies for regional conservation and community and economic development. The report is based on research on the potential role of community ownership and management of forestland from GIS analysis, interviews, surveys, two workshops, and five case studies in northern New England.
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes / Flathead Indian Reservation
Coolbough Natural Areas, Brooks Township, Newaygo County, Michigan
The 400-acre Coolbough Natural Areas contains white pine-white oak forests, remnants of dry sand prairie, the Coolbough and Bigelow Creek trout streams, a 3.5 acre pond and approximately 7 acres of wetlands. The property is managed to promote white pine-white oak reforestation and enlarge and restore prairie areas while enhancing wildlife habitat. Having received 75% funding from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Recreational Trust Fund (royalties from oil and gas extraction from state owned lands), the property must be open for public use but is restricted to non-motorized low-impact recreational activities.
Engaging Residents in Planning for Municipal Forests: A Case Study of Lincoln, Vermont
National Community Forestry Research Center. 2003.
The story of Lincoln, Vermont demonstrates how a small, rural town can engage its residents in planning for town-owned forests. This study illustrates the steps that can be taken to involve local residents in an effort to determine appropriate priorities for use of town forests. It also shows some of the obstacles a small community needs to overcome in attempting to bring its residents together to discuss municipal forests.
Land Protection and Stewardship in Weston, Massachsetts
Land conservation in Weston turns fifty this year. In 1953, the town established a Committee to Investigate and Report on the Matter of a Town Forest. Within a few years, several small tracts of Town Forest had been acquired, planting the seeds of more than 2,000 acres of open space that we own today. Weston at that time was a town of dwindling farms, fading estates, and a few other seedpods--of residential development. The genetic map by which Weston would unfold was laid down in the early 1950s by two critical decisions: residential zoning, and open space acquisition. The upshot is the suburb we see today: two-thirds detached houses on large lots and one-third schools, golf courses, and protected open space.
Menominee Tribal Enterprises
Published by the Institute for Environmental Studies and the Land Tenure Center. January 1995.
The Randolph Community Forest in New Hampshire
The article discusses the land acquisition of 10,000 acres in the White Mountains to protect traditional working forest practices and provide a sound future for historic recreational uses as diverse as hiking and hunting, snowmobiling and maple sugaring.
The story of the Randolph Community Forest: Building on local stewardship
The Randolph story describes the process that led one community to acquire the rights to own and manage the major portion of the town’s productive forest land base and secure access for recreational use and forest management activities.
Valuing Forests as Community Assets in the Mount Washington Valley
Bisson, Keith and Lyman, Martha West. 2003
A study of the economic, environmental, and social contributions of public and private forests and their potential role as a component of a regional economic development strategy.
Governance Models
Websites describing governance structures for these community forests:
Anacortes Community Forest, Washington
Arcata Community Forest, California
Bedford Town-owned Conservation Areas, Massachusetts
Blackfoot Community Conservation Area, Montana
Groton Town Forest, Massachusetts
Musquash Conservation Area, Londonderry, New Hampshire
Community and Tribal Forest Websites
Communities Committee, 2008.
This manual provides a guide for communities interested in establishing a community‐owned forest, whether just beginning to think about a project or re‐engaging community residents around land already in community ownership. Creating and managing a community‐owned forest requires the collaborative development of a community vision and mission for the forest, a commitment to sharing in the costs and benefits of that forest, and the crafting of a governance and operational structure that ensures consistent, long‐term management for forest resiliency and sustainability. Our manual includes step-by-step advice on getting started, engaging the broader community, financing acquisition, and long-term management and stewardship, as well as an extensive, annotated list of additional resources.
Case Studies
Arcata, CA Community Forest
The Arcata Community Forest and Jacoby Creek Forest totals 1984 acres of forested uplands and consists of two separate tracts. The City also owner over 600 acres of wetland/riparian lowlands that are within the same small costal watersheds. Much of the acreage was purchased in the 1930’s and 1940’s for municipal watershed/water supply purposes but is no longer used for water supply. The forest is a 120-year-old second growth redwood stand. Other species include Douglas fir, Grand fir, Western hemlock and Sitka spruce.
Bayfield Wisconsin County Forest
The Wisconsin Legislature passed the Forest Crop Law in 1927 authorizing counties to create county forests from tax delinquent lands. In 1929 the Legislature passed legislation that specifically exempted counties from having to pay the “acreage share fee” that private landowners had to pay. In 1931 legislation was passed providing county forests a payment of 10 cents an acre annually for all acres in County Forests, which was required to be used solely for the development of the forests. In return for this aid counties were required to pay a 75 percent severance tax to the state from forest products cut from their forests.
Brushwood Community Forest Initiative
Within the ecologically significant Connecticut River Valley, and spanning the towns of West Fairlee and Fairlee, lies a unique forest of over 10,000 acres in the heart of Orange County, Vermont. Located in a geographic area known locally as the Brushwood Forest, this expanse of forestland is one of the last significant undeveloped forest blocks in the area, connecting communities through an established trail network. Its diverse natural communities, large wetland complexes, and vernal pools offer critical habitat for wildlife, while oak-dominated stands boast highly productive soil for forestry. The Brushwood Forest has linked people to their landscape for generations through a long history of private forest stewardship, recreation and environmental education.
Choices and Challenges in Town Forest Management
Report from a Community Forest Workshop. Gorham, New Hampshire. National Community Forestry Research Center. September 13, 2003.
This workshop examined:
• How to engage a community in planning for its town-owned forests;
• How citizens can influence decision-making with respect to the use of town forests;
• Options for how to use town-owned forest resources;
• Challenges in management and use of town-owned forests;
• Strategies and resources for overcoming these challenges;
• Setting community-wide goals for managing town-owned forest resources; and
• Questions and lessons to share with other towns.
Community Forests: A Community Investment Strategy
Community Forestry Collaborative, 2007
Defines a community forest model and analyzes the potential role of community forests in strategies for regional conservation and community and economic development. The report is based on research on the potential role of community ownership and management of forestland from GIS analysis, interviews, surveys, two workshops, and five case studies in northern New England.
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes / Flathead Indian Reservation
Coolbough Natural Areas, Brooks Township, Newaygo County, Michigan
The 400-acre Coolbough Natural Areas contains white pine-white oak forests, remnants of dry sand prairie, the Coolbough and Bigelow Creek trout streams, a 3.5 acre pond and approximately 7 acres of wetlands. The property is managed to promote white pine-white oak reforestation and enlarge and restore prairie areas while enhancing wildlife habitat. Having received 75% funding from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Recreational Trust Fund (royalties from oil and gas extraction from state owned lands), the property must be open for public use but is restricted to non-motorized low-impact recreational activities.
Engaging Residents in Planning for Municipal Forests: A Case Study of Lincoln, Vermont
National Community Forestry Research Center. 2003.
The story of Lincoln, Vermont demonstrates how a small, rural town can engage its residents in planning for town-owned forests. This study illustrates the steps that can be taken to involve local residents in an effort to determine appropriate priorities for use of town forests. It also shows some of the obstacles a small community needs to overcome in attempting to bring its residents together to discuss municipal forests.
Land Protection and Stewardship in Weston, Massachsetts
Land conservation in Weston turns fifty this year. In 1953, the town established a Committee to Investigate and Report on the Matter of a Town Forest. Within a few years, several small tracts of Town Forest had been acquired, planting the seeds of more than 2,000 acres of open space that we own today. Weston at that time was a town of dwindling farms, fading estates, and a few other seedpods--of residential development. The genetic map by which Weston would unfold was laid down in the early 1950s by two critical decisions: residential zoning, and open space acquisition. The upshot is the suburb we see today: two-thirds detached houses on large lots and one-third schools, golf courses, and protected open space.
Menominee Tribal Enterprises
Published by the Institute for Environmental Studies and the Land Tenure Center. January 1995.
The Randolph Community Forest in New Hampshire
The article discusses the land acquisition of 10,000 acres in the White Mountains to protect traditional working forest practices and provide a sound future for historic recreational uses as diverse as hiking and hunting, snowmobiling and maple sugaring.
The story of the Randolph Community Forest: Building on local stewardship
The Randolph story describes the process that led one community to acquire the rights to own and manage the major portion of the town’s productive forest land base and secure access for recreational use and forest management activities.
Valuing Forests as Community Assets in the Mount Washington Valley
Bisson, Keith and Lyman, Martha West. 2003
A study of the economic, environmental, and social contributions of public and private forests and their potential role as a component of a regional economic development strategy.
Governance Models
Websites describing governance structures for these community forests:
Anacortes Community Forest, Washington
Arcata Community Forest, California
Bedford Town-owned Conservation Areas, Massachusetts
Blackfoot Community Conservation Area, Montana
Groton Town Forest, Massachusetts
Musquash Conservation Area, Londonderry, New Hampshire
Community and Tribal Forest Websites
