Your support powers this growing stewardship movement – thank you! If you are able to donate to the Guild, you can magnify your positive impact because of a new 2:1 match.
If federal changes or economic conditions have made it difficult for you to renew your Guild membership, please let us know atmembership@forestguild.org. We need & welcome everyone in our stewardship movement!
Thank you,
Zander
News from the Forest
Birds, Bogs, and Forestry – a two-day Lowland Spruce Workshop in Minnesota
Written by Christian Nelson, Forest Stewards Guild Lake States Coordinator
Fifty foresters and wildlife managers gathered in early October at the University of Minnesota’s Cloquet Forestry Center for a rich discussion on black spruce biology, ecology, economics, and management and capped the event with a field tour of the renowned Sax-Zim Bog.
On a warm morning in late August, fifteen strangers gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico for their first glimpse of what would become a life-changing chapter in their careers. As new crew members in the Guild’s Forest Stewards Youth Corps (FSYC) program, these individuals had expressed an interest in working in natural resources in their home communities.
In late October, months of work by many other people landed me in a mountain meadow near Black Lake, New Mexico, stuffing my pack and pants pockets with everything I’d need for the day: Food, water, sunscreen, a few layers, some PPE, a radio, a lighter. It would be the first day of ignitions on a 370-acre collaborative prescribed broadcast burn organized in part by the Forest Stewards Guild – and only the second burn of my early career in ecological forestry with the Guild.
Elections are open now for three new members for 3-year terms on the Guild's Membership and Policy Council. Professional, Retired Professional, and Lifetime Members are eligible to vote for their council representatives. If your membership is current, you should have received an email on Monday, November 17, 2025 with instructions for voting by December 17, 2025. If you did not receive this email and expect it, please send a message to membership@forestguild.orgor call Colleen at 608-395-4724 and we will resolve the issue together.
More information on the Membership and Policy Council's guidelines, duties, role, and current membership is online. Feel free to reach out to current MPC members, or using the contact info above, with questions.
Thank you to outgoing MPC members, and all MPC members this year, for your dedication to the Guild's mission and community.
There are many Guild and partner events this autumn— Don’t forget to check out the Webinar Library to catch up on what you may have missed, and watch our events lineup to stay in the loop with all Guild-related happenings coming up.
Thank you all for being part of this community. Membership years run July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026! Renewalscontinue to roll in at this essential time for Guild membership. It's a great time to join the Guild too, if you've been considering it!
Lifetime Members
Brendan Whittaker
Brunswick, VT
Mike Jani
Santa Cruz, CA
Professional and Retired Professional Members
Gabrielle Hardyn, Long View Forest
Hartland, VT
Quinn Kawamoto, Bureau of Land Management
Ashland, OR
Colleen Matula, Penokee Forestry
Mellen, WI
Affiliate Members
MK Keefe, Dakota County Parks
Eagan, MN
Joseph Cunin
Wingdale, NY
Student Members
Jonathan Patla, Stockton University
Toms River, NJ
Donald Vance, Stephen F. Austin State University
Nacogdoches, TX
Mason Nichols, Montana State University
Bozeman, MT
Eric Pietrewicz, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Auburn, MA
John Bizga, Stockton University
Hammonton, NJ
Kaitlyn Viada, Eastern Washington University
Carlsborg, WA
Notes
Season of Giving
December 2nd is GivingTuesday—With A Special Match at the Guild
​In 2012, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving got a special rebrand when it became GivingTuesday! Since its founding, GivingTuesday has grown into an annual global generosity movement and this year, it will kick off our annual campaign season. Your support is needed now more than ever and we’re excited to share that we have secured a match. Thanks to an anonymous philanthropist, between now and December 20th, all gifts donated to our campaign will be matched 2:1! This means that your gift on GivingTuesday of $50 will be tripled to create $150 worth of impact. And the best part is our match is active now; join us in ensuring a thriving future for forests for years to come!
Publications
Memo on Declines in Wildfire PreparednessA new analysis by Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, an organization made up of current and former federal wildland firefighters, shows that hazardous fuels reduction work on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land is down 38% since January 2025 compared to recent years.
Our thanks to several FSC Organizational Sponsors of the Guild who supported webinars in the past month. These topics are important and the Guild is able to hold space for learning and discussion about them due to your contributions! Recordings of these well-attended recent webinars will be available on the Guild’s YouTube channel soon!
Webinar name: Forest Management Tools for Songbird Conservation, FSC Supporters: Clearwater Corporation, Kronospan, & Fram
Webinar name: Mesophytic Coves: Hope for Hemlocks, FSC Supporters: Georgia Pacific, Clearwater Corporation, Kronospan, & Fram
Webinar Name: Influence of resources, Invasive Chinese tallow, and environmental stress on bottomland forest species, FSCSupporters: Beasley Hardwoods, WD Chips
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