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Director's Note - April 2025

Spring is a time of change and renewed activity – it certainly is at the Guild. Our Santa Fe office is moving so please use our post office box for any physical mail:

PO Box 6058

Santa Fe, NM 87502-6058

We’re also excited about all the Guild events happening in the woods and online! Last week’s conversation among Guild members on the future of forest stewardship demonstrated the creativity and deep thinking of this community. I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation on the Guild’s new business plan (which includes hiring a new Chief Development Officer to help us expand investment in stewardship).

A big thank you to Guild members hosting gatherings in the woods and on screens across the country (and if you want to help host an event get in touch).

Please welcome your colleagues to join us! We need more stewards, more solutions, more energy to create a shared, vibrant future for people and forests. And remember we’re offering free membership for folks in forestry, conservation, and natural resource management who have recently been out of work. Please join the Guild community (with code “uplift”, on the honor system)!

Thank you!

News from the Forest

Pathways to Sustain Ash: Insights from the Guild’s Ash Seed Collection Series

Written by Michelle Giles and Rachel Swanwick

This spring, the Sustaining Ash Partners Network (SAP-Ne) hosted a three-part event series, “Pathways to Sustain Ash,” to highlight the importance of seed collection in ash stewardship. SAP-Ne promotes ash protection across the Northeast and is managed by the Forest Stewards Guild’s Northeast program manager, Rachel Swanwick.

Read more

University of Alabama group in front of Caring Days sign

Remembering Richard Hart

Written by Mary Snieckus, biographical info from Sharon McCann

Noted ecologist Richard Hart was involved in these early Guild gatherings and embodied the “spark”. A keen observer and systems thinker, he was a remarkable person who led a life of curiosity and connection.

Read more

Planning & Preparedness in the Headwaters of the Rio Grande

Written by Christi Bode

There’s a lot of ways to look at the wildfire crisis and reframe it as an opportunity. Fire readily crosses boundaries. Potential Operational Delineations (PODs) are another way of telling the story, creating a shared understanding of the landscape. This tool helps land and emergency managers develop a coordinated cross-boundary strategy for wildfire planning and response. 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.

April 25: Noon - 4 PT April 26: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.	Arcata, CA Registration closed	Pacific West Guild Gathering -a 30th anniversary celebration series event
April 29 - 30 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET	Near Tallahassee, FL	Exploring Fire & Old Forests in the Red Hills of Florida
April 30 - May 1: April 30 at Noon EDT May 1 at 7:00 p.m. EDT	Webinar	The Guild's Business Plan
May 9 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. PT	Portland, OR	Forestry for the Birds: Western Oregon Workshop
May 9 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM	Unity, ME	Intro to Sugarbush Management
June 8 5:30 to 10:45 a.m. ET	Unity, NH	Fourth annual bird event at Stone Fence Farm, NH
June 18 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CT	Cloquet, MN	Forestry for Minnesota Birds
June 20 1:00 pm - 6:30 pm	near Warren, ME	Maine Guild Gathering – a 30th anniversary celebration series event
June 20, 21, 22 June 20th 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET June 21 & June 22, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET	St. Paul, VA	Wilderness First Aid (NOLS) and optional CPR (HSI) certification courses
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

Welcome New Members

Thank you all for being part of this community.

Lifetime Members

Steve Robinson, Monte Sereno HOA

Santa Fe, NM

Professional and Retired Professional Members

Michael Tuffy, ERIA Consultants LLC.	Boulder, CO
Michelle Matteo, Quercus Consulting LLC.	West Haven, CT
Hale Morrell	Walpole, NH
Meryl Harrell	Atlanta, GA
Paul Catanzaro, University of Massachusetts	Amherst, MA
John Zeiger, New York Botanical Garden	Bronx, NY

Affiliate Members

Les Benedict, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe	Akwesane, NY
Laura Block, Team Rubicon	Cary, NC
Steven Del Favero, Geo Systems Analysis	Albuquerque, NM

Student Members

Michael Dittenber, Michigan State University	Linwood, MI
Eli Rhoads, University of Alabama	Trinity, FL
Dustin McCloskey, University of Maine	Old Town, ME
Matthew Sieber-Ford, State University of NY	South Glens Falls, NY
Shane Magee, Stockton University	Eggharbor city, NJ
Adam Basham, Stockton University	Lumberton, NJ
Zoe Ziegler, Cal Poly Humboldt	Arcata, CA

Notes

Guild efforts are getting attention!

Online Silviculture Resources. Explore these curated online courses, webinars, and job boards to expand your silviculture knowledge or grow your career in forest management. Perfect for professionals, students, and anyone looking to stay up to date in the field!

Opinion piece from Guild member Guild member shares a view on trade and tariffs: Opinion: New Hampshire rural communities need trade stability.

Check out the Spring 2025 Guild Career Call notes and resources —packed with career tips, job links, and advice from natural resource professionals.

The University of Alabama Student Chapter shared their time, knowledge, and inspiration with us in a recent webinar. This is worth a watch for any students wanting a thriving Guild student chapter, or for those interested in learning what one Guild chapter is doing locally!

Publications

Wildfires Are One of Hurricane Helene’s Lasting Legacies. More than 200 wildfires broke out in the southeastern US last week, marking an active start to the region’s annual fire season. A particularly large fire in a forest near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, forced dozens of evacuations and scorched more than 2,000 acres of land.

Wisconsin Forests at Risk: Engaging Wisconsinites in Another Century of Forest Conservation Guild members have crafted a new report, Wisconsin Forests at Risk: Engaging Wisconsinites in Another Century of Forest Conservation, with important vision for the future of forests and the communities that depend on them (check out section VII Solutions).

Guild contributes to 15-year Landscape Monitoring Report The Valles Caldera National Monument in partnership with the Santa Fe National Forest, Pueblo of Jemez, the Forest Stewards Guild Southwest Region, and many others released this comprehensive 15-year Southwest Jemez Final Monitoring Report. This report summarizes monitoring and management findings from extensive dry forest and watershed restoration treatments across a 210,000 acre landscape. Guild programs, including Forest Stewards Youth Corps, contributed to implementation and socioeconomic monitoring. In addition to tree thinning, wood utilization, and stream restoration, the effort conducted extensive prescribed and managed fires.

Jobs

Check our full jobs page! There’s a leadership position open now at the Forest Stewards Guild, along with many other jobs aligned with our values in stewardship. Plus, regular updates on opportunities with our partners 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.