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What is Sustainable Forestry
Sustainable Forestry starts with planning and inventory. You have to
know what you have and then plan actions that will sustainably reach your goals.
NEFF has forest inventories of both traditional tree and land data as well
as social and environmental data. NEFF uses a nested planning system, which includes a regional plan, an
individual forest plan, and an operation's plan to assure continuity. NEFF's goal is to
hold a steady timber inventory while
maintaining or enhancing wildlife and environmental values.
The Forest
Stewardship Council independent environmental audit system that NEFF follows,
requires meeting all 56 criteria ranging from community relations, to biodiversity, to sustainable
harvest levels.
Principles for Management of Community Forests
The New England Forestry Foundation recognizes that its
forests provide numerous goods and benefits, including among others:
- forest products
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periodic income to NEFF
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community and regional economic value
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protection of water quality
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a variety of habitats, including some for rare and
endangered species
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biodiversity
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protection of cultural, historic, and archaeological
resources
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opportunities for recreation, education, and solitude
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opportunities for demonstration, experimentation, and
innovation
In managing its lands
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NEFF is committed to an overarching principle of
sustainability and will:
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Preserve site productivity
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Manage so as to
maintain the biological and economic integrity of the land
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Manage with
humility, recognizing the limits of our knowledge
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Think beyond the
property boundary and consider the potential off-site consequences of our
activities
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Be a good neighbor and consider its obligations to the
community in which it is located
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Develop management plans within both an
ecological and human context, considering the full range of forest values
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Assess the consequences of ranking values
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Maintain current management
plans, basing them on economically practical natural resource assessments
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Consider and take advantage of demonstration opportunities
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Manage
adaptively
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Document, analyze and disseminate results
More from the Forestry Department
Using sustainable forest management to acheive conservation goals 
Adobe PDF Document 968KB
NEFF's complete Regional Forest Management Plan Adobe PDF Document 5.5MB
To learn more about how other how other land trusts use
sustainable forest management, visit the
Southern New England Forest
Consortium website.Other NEFF Forestry Links
NEFF Links
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