If you're having trouble viewing this email, you can see it online.

Directors Note - April 2026

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

Wilderness is a wonderful refuge during tumultuous times. I was grateful to be able to spend a few days in the Gila Wilderness where frequent fires maintain the habitat for glorious ponderosa pines. Unfortunately, the specter of climate change haunts the Gila; heat and drought is even killing some of these old giants.

The awe-inspiring forests and urgency of the Anthropocene recharged my motivation to do all I can for the future of our forests. And this newsletter shows the Guild community is motivated too!

From Forest Stewards Apprentices starting their careers in the Maine woods to poetic reflections from a founding Guild member, our community is contributing at all levels. Bren Whittaker, another founding Guild member, connects us to our history while Chris Woodall inspires us with the possibilities of the future. What an energizing community!

Screenshot%202025-07-15%20at%201_29_19%E2%80%AFPM(1).png

News from the Forest

The Guild’s Forest Stewards Apprentices make a difference in the Maine Woods

Written by Michelle Giles and Rachel Swanwick

In September 2025, the Guild launched a three-person Forest Stewards Apprenticeship (FSA) crew to work with the Penobscot Nation’s Department of Natural Resources (PN DNR). Over the course of their six-month season, apprentices Agenor Duhon, Gabe Stewart, and Jacob Baker shared a season of learning, collaboration, and hands-on stewardship of Penobscot Tribal lands.

Read more

University of Alabama group in front of Caring Days sign

How Digital Intelligence is Catching Up to Field Stewardship

Written by Chris Woodall of CTrees

As Guild members, our practice is fundamentally grounded in field observation. We know intuitively that forests are dynamic, living communities. Yet, for decades, the high-level systems used to value our work, specifically the carbon accounting ledgers tied to international frameworks like the Paris Agreement, have treated forests as static, quantifiable blocks of land.

Read more

Numinosity - Book Review

Written by Shannon Maes

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Numinosity. The poems and prose are held tenderly together by the imperative to be deeply feeling, aware and faithful stewards of nature. Conservation is both an ethic to live by and for many of us also a set of practices baked into our work and daily life.

Read more

Upcoming Events

Be sure to register for upcoming events that interest you most. Remember to check out the Webinar Library to catch up on what you may have missed, and watch our events lineup regularly for new Guild-related happenings!

Tuesdays January 13 - April 26 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET	Webinars	Yale Forest Forum – From Timber to Tomorrow: Old Challenges, New Pressures, Changing Paradigms
April 22 9:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m. ET	Chattanooga, TN	White Oak Initiative -Cumberland In-Person Roundtable
April 29 - 30 All day event	Milwaukee, WI	Milwaukee Regional Stakeholder Meeting
April TBD More details coming soon!	Webinar	Legacy Planning Tools and Options
May 14 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET	Woodstock, VT	A Spring 2026, Member-Hosted Guild Gathering
June 6 5:30 – 10:45 a.m. ET	Salisbury, NH	5th Annual Bird ID, Ecology & Habitat Management Workshop at Stone Fence Farm
	Ellsworth Creek Preserve in WA	Northwest Innovative Forestry Summit
	Webinar	Indigenous Land Access and Return Series
	Webinar	Dovetail Partners 2026 Webinar Series
September 15 – 17, 2026 Save the date!	Freeport, ME	National Guild Gathering – Celebrating 30 years!

Welcome New Members

Thank you all for being part of this community. It's a great time to gift a membership to the Guild too, if you've been considering it!

Professional and Retired Professional Members

Benjamin Brooks, The Institute for Health Research & Policy at Whitman-Walker	Washington D.C.
Randall Kelly, Catskill Mountan Forestry Services	Roxbury, NY
Randi Paris, The Watershed Research and Training Center	Weaverville, CA
Kaitlyn Potter, Long View Forest, Inc	Hartland, VT
Patrick Shults, Extension forester	Olympia, WA
Vanessa Vongnhay, Passamaquoddy Recognition Group Inc.	St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada

Student Members

Connor Sweeney, University of Alabama	Vienna, VA
Daniel Zitomer, Northwestern University	Goldens Bridge, NY

Member Highlight - Bren Whittaker

Written by Colleen Robinson

We are so honored by our Lifetime Members! Bren Whittaker of Brunswick, Vermont is a founding member of the Guild as well. Though he doesn't walk the woods much these days, so many acres have benefited from his care. Some of his footprints are seen in the form of the Vermont Outstanding Tree Farm Award that he and his wife Dorothy and family earned in 2023 (and that wasn't the only award)!

Read more

Notes

Wildfire risk is top of mind for many landowners across the Western U.S., with much of the West facing record-low snowpack and recent or ongoing heat waves. Want to learn more about wildfire preparedness? View the National Weather Service Wildland Fire Outlook here or read the Forest Stewards Guild’s updated Home Hazard Assessment Guide.

Reminder to check out and bookmark our recent virtual learning opportunities! Visit our webinar page and YouTube channel to catch up on the latest events, and key discussions.

Publications

National Assessment of Certified Prescribed Burn Manager Programs Report We are pleased to release the new National Assessment of Certified Prescribed Burn Manager Programs. The Forest Stewards Guild and partners developed this report to provide a nationwide review of CPBM programs. We anticipate this will serve as a useful tool for states who are considering creating or updating these programs. Read more.

Jobs

Check our full jobs page! Currently, the Forest Stewards Guild has a few positions! Partners also have jobs listed on our site. Please stay updated via our jobs pages linked above as new opportunities show up daily!