A look at land-use, conservation, and related policy developments around New England, compiled and read by Alex Redfield.

Alex Redfield is the Co-Director of the Integrated Policy Program for Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities and Food Solutions New England. He lives in South Portland, Maine and welcomes feedback and your perspective on relevant policy discussions. He can be reached on LinkedIn and via email at alex@wildlandsandwoodlands.org.

Read the full piece with accompanying figures and explore additional content in the Spring 2025 Issue of From the Ground Up.

An essay written and read by David Marvin.

David Marvin is a sugarmaker and forester. He is founder of Butternut Mountain Farm, a family enterprise focused on production, processing, and marketing maple products from its own farm and hundreds of others. David currently serves as a board member of Shelburne Farms, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and the Vermont Economic Development Authority. David and his wife, Lucy, reside in Hyde Park nearby to their two grown children, Emma and Ira, who are engaged in the family business.

Read the full essay and discover additional content in the Spring 2025 Issue of From the Ground Up.

An essay written and read by Robert Perschel.

Robert (Bob) Perschel joined the New England Forestry Foundation in April 2012 and retired just this past year, in 2024, though he remains actively involved. In his 40 years as an environmental professional, he has worked on forestry, large landscape conservation, and wilderness issues. Bob worked for the forest industry before establishing his own forestry consulting business and founding the Land Ethic Institute. He then worked in leadership positions for The Wilderness Society and Forest Stewards Guild. Bob has a master’s degree in forestry from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a psychology degree from Yale College.

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This piece is part of our series exploring ecological forestry featured in the Spring 2025 Issue of From the Ground Up.

Read all the submissions in our Ecological Forestry collection:

• Ecological Forestry and Slow Wood: Perspectives from Around the Region by Brian Donahue
• Ecological Forestry: Origins and Principles by Tony D’Amato
• Putting Forests First: Ecological Forestry and an Ethical Worldview by David Foster
• Relationships: The Essence of Low Impact Forestry by Sam F. Brown

• The Practice of Ecological Forestry: Seeking Diversity, Balance, and Adaptation in the Woods by Rick Morrill
• Worst-First and Femelschlag: Ecological Forestry with the Foundation for Sustainable Forests by Guy Dunkle and Annie Socci Maloney
• The Maine Woods Initiative: The Appalachian Mountain Club’s Approach to Ecological Forestry by Carolyn Ziegra
• Managing for Diversity: Insurance for the Future Forest by Ben Farina
• Exemplary Forestry: Integrating Climate Resilience, Biodiversity, and Wood Production by Robert T. Perschel